.:: 2014. Ramsey Nasser ::.

Date: June 2019
Location: Dundee, Scotland
www.vam.ac.uk/dundee/videogames
The exhibition includes a recreation of the classic videogame Pong 1972 made entirely using pronounced qalb or ‘alb, meaning heart. This is a programming language in the Arabic alphabet. It is shown on screen as it operates while a human plays against the computer. Every major programming language today is based around the Latin alphabet. Ramsey Nasser, computer scientist and games designer, created this new programming language to highlight how difficult coding in other alphabets has become. Nasser states that his programming language would struggle to interact with today’s digital infrastructures, making it impossible to use on a wider scale. Videogames have a global reach, with creative hubs producing works across the world, including Arabic speaking countries. Yet the cultural dominance of western society within digital design can create barriers to access at a fundamental production level, often in ways unseen to some people.