Hi, I'm Shalev.
Game designer and multimedia artist.
Born in Jerusalem, living in Copenhagen.
Upcoming Events
* June 2025 - Solo Exhibition - Neve Shechter, Tel Aviv
Commercial Games
* TBD - The Current - Bird Island
* 2022 - Gerda: A Flame In Winter - Bird Island
* 2019 - The Dead and the Drunk - Bird Island
* 2019 - Occupy White Walls - StikiPixels
* 2017 - Plethora - Plethora
* 2016 - Motor Planet - Plarium
Non-Commercial Games
* TBD - Moriah
* 2024 - Prayer
* 2020 - Archipelago
* 2018 - The BLUFF Collection
* 2018 - On To Me
* 2017 - Mating Season
* 2017 - Wolfenstache
* 2016 - Pivot
* 2015 - Gallery Mode
* 2014 - Hug Gods
* 2013 - Arak Man
Exhibitions & Performances
* 2024 - Looking Back At The Future - Magasin III, Jaffa
* 2022 - Manifesta 14 - Centre for Narrative Practice, Prishtina
* 2020 - Atlas of Mediterranean Liquidity - The Israeli Center for Digital Art, Holon
* 2020 - PLAY - Creative Gaming Festival - Hamburg (digital event)
* 2019 - Game On! El Arte en Juego - Centro Cultural San Martín, Buenos Aires
* 2018 - BLUFF - Design Museum, Holon
* 2018 - Future Perfect - Hygienic Art, New London
* 2018 - Indie Playground - Beit Ariela, Tel Aviv
* 2017 - Africade: Contemporary Games from Africa - The African Studies Gallery, Tel Aviv
* 2017 - Agility: a Game Jam Performance - Intimadance Festival, Tel Aviv
* 2017 - Agility: a Game Jam Performance - Print Screen Festival, Holon
* 2016 - A Week in the Maze - Lippa Stopp, Institut für Alles Mögliche, Berlin
* 2016 - The New Intimacy - Incubate Arcade, Tilburg
* 2016 - ALEA #6 - Confluences, Paris
* 2016 - Stories in Space - The Center for Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv
* 2016 - The Arcade - Print Screen Festival, Holon
* 2015 - Moving Without a Body - Kelim Choreography Center, Bat Yam
* 2015 - Mouth to Mouth - Barbur Gallery, Jerusalem
* 2015 - Walk in My Shoes - Print Screen Festival, Holon
* 2014 - Immersion / Hebrew Ludology - Tel Aviv Municipal Museum
* 2014 - A MAZE. / Berlin Showcase - A MAZE. Festival, Urban Spree, Berlin
* 2014 - Get Lost! - Print Screen Festival, Holon
* 2013 - Endgame - Utopia Festival, Tel Aviv
* 2013 - MegaDrive - Har Sinai, Tel Aviv
* 2013 - Right Arrow - Print Screen Festival, Holon
* 2012 - Frontline Theatre
* 2012 - Street Art in Urban Spaces - Naot Shikma Gallery, Rishon LeZion
* 2012 - Boydem Pt. 3: Ossi
* 2011 - Where To? - The Israeli Center for Digital Art, Holon
* 2011 - Boydem Pt. 2: Alon
* 2010 - Role Model - Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium, Tel Aviv
* 2010 - Exercise in Citizenship - Tel Aviv University
* 2009 - Gestures For Ohad Matalon - Herzliya Biennial of Art (unauthorized)
* 2009 - Boydem Pt. 1: Alley
* 2005 - Public Domain - Saloona Gallery, Jaffa
* 2005 - Fuck The City - Forno Magazine
* 2005 - The Shufel - Ramat Hasharon
* 2004 - Skater Circus - Ramat Hasharon
* 2004 - Concrete - The Former Midrasha for Art Education, Ramat Hasharon
Writing
* 2023 - Speculative Tourism (essay for Mafte’akh) - Hebrew
* 2022 - Companion Cubes (essay for Utopia Magazine) - English, Hebrew
* 2021 - Show Them The Money (talk transcript from GAIA 2021) - English
* 2021 - Face Cover (essay for Utopia Magazine) - English, Hebrew, plus a teaser video
* 2020 - Universal Perspective Machines (essay for Utopia Magazine) - English and Hebrew
* 2020 - Archipelago: A Cyclical Adventure Game (short paper for CHI PLAY '20) - English
* 2019 - Frag the DJ (talk transcript from GAIA 2019) - English
* 2018 - Asset Modernism (essay for Maarav Magazine) - English
* 2018 - BLUFF (exhibition text for Print Screen Festival) - English
* 2018 - Indie Playground (exhibition text for GameIS) - English and Hebrew
* 2017 - Africade (exhibition text for The African Studies Gallery) - English
* 2017 - Agility (performance press kit for Print Screen Festival and Intimadance Festival. Edited by Aistė Račaitytė, with texts by Lior Zalmanson and myself) - English
* 2016 - Cinematic Adaptations of Videogames (essay for srita.net) - Hebrew
* 2016 - How To Fall In Love With an NPC (essay for TimeOut Tel Aviv) - Hebrew
* 2016 - Stories In Space (exhibition text for Steamer Salon) - English and Hebrew
* 2015 - Walk In My Shoes (exhibition text for Print Screen Festival) - English and Hebrew
* 2014 - The Women In Games Have Already Won The War (essay for Haaretz) - Hebrew
* 2014 - Yearly Roundup (essay for gamepad.co.il) - Hebrew
* 2014 - Get Lost (exhibition text for Print Screen Festival) - English and Hebrew
* 2013 - Endgame (exhibition text for Utopia Festival) - Hebrew
* 2013 - Right Arrow (exhibition text for Print Screen Festival) - English and Hebrew
* 2012 - Western Games, Quest Cinema (essay for Ma'arvon Magazine) - Hebrew
Talks
* 2025 - Games Doing Politics - University of Applied Arts Vienna
* 2024 - Making RPG Problems - Nordic Game Conference
* 2021 - Show Them The Money - Game Arts International Assembly
* 2019 - Frag the DJ - Game Arts International Assembly
* 2018 - Interventions: Games as Political Action - Nordic Game Conference; also given at Nordic Game Jam, 2019
* 2018 - Corridors, Avenues, Gardens: an Approach for Game Narrative Design - 5th Annual Science Fiction Symposium, Tel Aviv University; also given at Devcom, Cologne, 2018
* 2018 - The Mimetic Crisis in Games - ISVIS, Shenkar College; also given at B3 Biennial of the Moving Image, 2017; Post-Reality Conference, Bezalel Academy, 2017; 4th Annual Science Fiction Symposium, Tel Aviv University, 2016 (Video)
* 2017 - Speculative Tourism - Mamuta Art Research Center; also given at Connecticut College, 2018 (video); re:publica, 2018; Van Leer Institute, 2018; Zumo Arad, 2018; Prinzessinnengarten, 2019; Universidad Argentina de la Empresa, 2019; JCC Prague and JCC Budapest, 2021; Israeli Association of Landscape Architects, 2021 (video)
* 2016 - Narrative Design for Digital Games (college class) - Kadar Design and Technology Center, Shenkar College; also given as a workshop at Taasiya.com's Intro to Game Design, 2015; Asylum Arts Alumni Retreat, 2016; R/O Institute, 2017; Israeli Screenwriters Guild, 2017; Utopia Festival, 2017; Tiltan College, 2017
* 2015 - Expressive and Interpretive Controllers - The Tel Aviv Artists House; also given at Rishon LeZion Municipal Gallery, 2016; Kadar Design and Technology Center, Shenkar College, 2017
* 2016 - A Future for Documentary Games - Screenshake; also given at Google TLV Campus, 2014 (Video); Quo Vadis, 2014; Utopia Festival, 2014; Mamuta, 2015
* 2016 - Gallery Mode: How to Prepare Your Game for Exhibitions - Casual Connect Tel Aviv; also given at A Maze./ Berlin, 2014; GIC Poznań, 2016
* 2015 - Moving Without a Body: Choreography in Videogames (workshop) - KELIM School for Choreography; also given at Kadar Game Center, Shenkar College, 2015; A MAZE. / Berlin, 2016
* 2015 - Short History of Platformers - Plarium Global
* 2014 - Games and War - Games For Peace General Assembly; also given at Hasifa School, Open University Israel, 2015
* 2014 - From Cinema to Games to Interactive Cinema: Adapting Dramatic Techniques - Made For Web Conference
* 2013 - Art History of Videogames - Tel Aviv Museum of Art; also given at Kadar Design and Technology Center, Shenkar College, 2013 (Video); Beit Ariela, 2015
* 2013 - The New Arcade Movement - WE Conference for Creative Collectives
* 2012 - Loneliness in Games - GameIS Conference
Bio & Contact
I co-founded Speculative Tourism together with Mushon Zer-Aviv. I am also one of the organizers for the Game Arts International Assembly.
I have been working in the videogames industry as a designer, lead designer, and game director in companies like Plarium, Bird Island and StikiPixels; and as a lecturer at Shenkar College of Engineering and Design. I was also the Games Program Curator for Print Screen Festival, and covered videogames in various magazines and on television.
Before videogames I've done a lot of street art as well as performance art, some of which can be found on this website.
I received my B.A. from TAU's Honors Program in the Humanities and Arts, and my M.A. in Game Design from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
To invite me for a lecture or an exhibition, or for any other matter, feel free to shoot me an email.