Join artist and scholar Kara Stone for an illuminating conversation about Solar Server, an autonomous solar-powered web server hosting low-carbon video games. This discussion will reveal how environmental consciousness shapes creative practice and challenge conventional assumptions about digital art and game development.

Stone demonstrates how ecological constraints spark innovation rather than limitation through her experimental work. She'll share insights from building Solar Server, including the technical specifications of her solar setup, the creative decisions behind compression techniques, and how early computing practices inform contemporary sustainable game design.

In this conversation with Gameplayarts executive director Jamin Warren, Stone unpacks the relationships between environmental activism, artistic practice, and game development. Learn how conscious constraints - from file size limitations to energy usage - generate new aesthetic possibilities and creative frameworks for game artists.

Key Topics:

• Technical implementation of solar-powered game servers using Raspberry Pi and marine batteries
• Creative approaches to file compression and optimization in Unity
• Historical connections between early computing constraints and contemporary sustainable practices
• Designing durational gameplay experiences that respect both player time and environmental impact

Stone's work demonstrates how game artists can address environmental concerns while maintaining creative vision. Her approach synthesizes technical innovation, artistic experimentation, and ecological consciousness - offering a blueprint for sustainable creative practice in digital spaces.

Logistics

• Dec. 18th, 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 7 PM CEST
• This talk will be online and recorded on Zoom

• Please review our Code of Conduct here. Email info@gameplayarts.org for any questions.

Kara Stone creates work examining the intersections of environment, mental health, and sexuality through interactive art and experimental videogames. Her current project Solar Server represents a breakthrough in sustainable game development, hosting low-carbon videogames on an autonomous solar-powered web server. Her work has been featured in The Atlantic, Wired, and VICE, with exhibitions at Athens Digital Art Festival (Greece), Vector Game Art Festival (Toronto), and a solo show at Babycastles (New York City). She serves as Assistant Professor at Alberta University of the Arts in Calgary and is a member of the Different Games Collective, advancing inclusive game culture and industry practices.