From 2012 there will be a new Masters programme, offered jointly by the University of Salford, Linz, Valencia and Potsdam, called Ludic Interfaces, which is dedicated to the analysis and development of game-like interfaces. The premise of this interdisciplinary programme is the assumption that interface innovation is rooted in playfulness. In cooperation with academic institutions and major media centres, digital content is to be researched, designed and tested publicly. The methodologies mobilised by this new discipline include ludology, media theory, cultural studies, aesthetic practices, HCIUE (human computer interfaces and usability engineering), and collaborative creation processes (wikis, blogs, social networking, prototyping, bending and modding practices).

transmediale is, along with CODED CULTURES and A MAZE., a partner of this Masters programme and has invited Ludic Interfaces to transmediale.11 to organise the Ludic Salon: panel guests and the audience discuss the possibilities of ludology for contemporary media art in a playful and interactive atmosphere.