Hijacked!

The earliest attempts to create machinima involved hacking, modding, and other techniques to manipulate both software and hardware. Today, it is much easier to make films within games, as many developers now embed cinematic tools and editors directly into them. Nevertheless, the subversive spirit of early machinima remains central to many artists working in this medium. Philosopher Alexander Galloway described this critical approach as “counter-gaming,” viewing it as a way to critically engage with the ever-expanding world of video games which is possible if you play outside the rules. What unites the works in this programme is their commitment to digital disobedience and their efforts to expose the mechanisms and ideologies hidden behind the facade of virtual worlds.

How to Disappear

Total Refusal | Duration 21’

An anti-war movie in the true sense of the word, How to Disappear searches for possibilities of peace in the most unlikely place of an online war game. It’s a tribute to disobedience and desertion — in both digital and physical-real warfare.

Why Don’t the Cops Fight Each Other

Grayson Earle | Duration 9’

This desktop documentary investigates the relationships between police officers in GTA V. Through an exhaustive forensic analysis of the game’s source code, it demonstrates the extent to which the cultural imaginary concerning the real world police is projected into the game space.

The Grannies

Marie Foulston | Duration 27’

A group of players venture beyond the game's boundaries and discover a captivating, ethereal space that reveals the humanity and materiality of digital creations. This peek behind the curtain of the virtual world allows to capture a unique experience that transcends the game itself.

Dance, Voldo, Dance

Chris Brandt | Duration 4’

Voldo is a character in the fighting video game Soulcalibur. The choreographed moves of two equally freaky Voldos in this recording are all actual game play. This early machinima was made during a week of full-time training and performance.

It’s in the Game ’17

Sondra Perry | Duration 16’

Sondra Perry looks into how gaming can capitalise on the simulation of bodies and objects. She focuses on her brother Sandy, whose physical statistics were licensed, without his consent, to game developer EA Sports. This raises the question of ownership and agency in relation to digital bodies.