"Game Engine Free Verse" is an exhibition of art games created by six Moscow and Saint-Petersburg based artists whose practices manifest within the fields of game engines, poetry, CGI and sound.

Free verse is an open form of poetry which does not follow any strict rules of versification such as rhyme, alliteration, etc. Such a poetic form could be considered a mistake within the structure of classic poems. Game engines as such have a strict organization as well, just as the aesthetics and narratives of mainstream games. By modifying this hierarchical architecture, artists glitch traditional gaming strategies and critique them. The phenomenon of digital poetry is usually perceived as computer-generated poetry or hypertext. Nevertheless, spatial digital tools such as 3D modeling, animation software and game engines allow the user to explore the nature of digital sensitivity and audiovisual lyrics.

In the presented projects, the video game itself is interpreted not as a space for competition where you can either lose or win, but as a synthesis of visual arts. The player will not face assignments or a traditional game narrative. Instead of this, the player may live through real-time interactive experiences, spontaneously stroll around contemplative landscapes and navigate inside poetic spatial environments.

The featured games are created between 2015-2021.