NEWS: VRAL IS NOW ON PATREON

We are happy to announce that online platform VRAL is now available through Patreon. Here's the curators' spiel:

We are using Patreon to build a community for all appreciators of machinima and game videos situated at the intersection of video art, experimental cinema, contemporary art, and avant-garde gaming: we believe that Jack Conte's platform is ideally suited for bringing together people sharing the same passions and interests.

Our primary goal is to produce a deeper, broader understanding of machinima as an artform and through Patreon we will make VRAL more sustainable in the long term, provide a compensation to all artists involved while maintaining full creative and curatorial independence from external sources, such as institutions and/or sponsors.

Although our monthly program comprising two VRAL exhibitions accompanied by an-depth interview will remain freely accessible on vral.org, we will significantly expand our critical and curatorial efforts by introducing exclusive, platform-specific content, such as articles, essays, video essays, interviews, and a variety of perks, including discounts for books and special events, such as the Milan Machinima Festival. Currently we offer three subscription options corresponding to different tiers (official, all-access, VIP) priced at 3, 6 and 9 euro per month respectively (sorry we do not accept cryptocurrencies at the moment). The content is in English.

Introduced in April 2020 amidst a global pandemic, VRAL is a uniquely curated game video experience, offering screenings of machinima selected on their cultural relevance, artistic achievement, and innovative style. Often presented only in the context of new media art festivals, film retrospectives, and exhibitions, these works best represent the variety, ingenuity, and creativity of game-based video practices. An online space that provides access to a range of diverse voices supplementing/expanding the Milan Machinima Festival, VRAL celebrates a new generation of digital filmmakers and artists.

So far, we curated two seasons comprising 43 exhibitions overall. In 2021, we published a book collecting all the interviews. The second volume in the series will be available soon and we will share a sneak preview through Patreon.

Finally, VRAL Season 03 dropped May 13 2022 with Felix Klee's My paws are soft, my bones are heavy.

This season will be going more experimental than ever. You have been warned.

The VRAL subscription platform on Patreon is accessible here.