Put away your phone for a moment. 

The “gamification” of our digital lives has radically transformed sex and relationships , education and learning, health and fitness, wellness and psychology, money and finance, politics and protest. But behind the promises to make our lives easier, fun and more connected is a grim corporate infrastructure, concentrated in the hands of game-inspired billionaires for whom most of us are little more than disposable NPCs (non-player characters). How have games shaped 21st century capitalism and its ideologies of violence? How are social movements using games to fight back?

Dr. Max Haiven is a writer, game designer, and educator and the Canada Research Chair in the Radical Imagination at Lakehead University, where he directs RiVAL: The ReImagining Value Action Lab. His board game Billionaires & Guillotines is published by Pluto Press and his next book, The Player and the Played: From Gamed Capitalism to 21st Century Fascism, will be published by MIT. He has written many books and articles and created podcasts on themes including art, finance, imagination, globalization, conspiracies, fascism, and grassroots activism. He is the editor of the VAGABONDS series of short, provocative books and, as part of Sense & Solidarity he offers workshops on strategy and communication for social movements.

Join us online on YouTube Live, or in the building on Friday, the 27th of March 2026 at 1pm for the talk and to take part in the Q and A discussion afterwards. 

The Pervasive Media Studio is a partnership between the Watershed, University of the West of England and University of Bristol. The lunchtime talks are partly supported by MyWorld, a project led by the University of Bristol to support creative industries in the region. Watershed is supported by Arts Council England.

Address:

Watershed, 1 Canon's Rd, Bristol BS1 5TX

Directions:

The Lunchtime talks take place in the Pervasive Media Studio Event Space. To access the Studio, please go to the Main Watershed Box Office entrance and go upstairs to the Café Bar. Walk across the cafe bar, turn right and walk towards the double doors. Go through into the corridor and walk all the way down until you reach the Studio. A member of staff will sign you in, and check your ticket, if you have booked.

The Studio is wheelchair accessible, and the events space has a hearing loop. The last talk of every month is BSL interpreted. 

For more information on accessing the studio take a look here.

*Please note this is a hybrid event and will be live streamed so please be aware you will be in the live broadcast and recording when watching in the Studio.