Year : 2023

Title : Parallel V

Media : Machinima

Statement :

This work is my tribute to Harun Farocki. It aims to continue his series “Parallel I-IV” which investigated the structure of computer games. When Farocki recorded a Non-Player Character (NPC) who left and returned to a store time and again, he said, “This tragedy revealed the limitations of human freedom of action.” I started by thinking about his statement and queried the sources of limitations. I found that some NPCs are assigned duties, and all of them seem trapped in a time-space correlated with the player. It is a relationship of ontological dependence. NPCs live like humans; repetitions are inevitable in their lives. Hopefully, the algorithm of games cannot control all, and NPCs still encounter contingencies. Both NPCs and human beings might be better off learning from Nietzsche to welcome repetitions with a smile.