Fabien Zocco

Game over and over

In Game over and over, two robotized artefacts, each one placed in front of a screen, fight each other in an infinite and absurd video game that they control automatically.

The robots are reduced to a minimalistic mechanized evocation of the head of a video gamer watching a screen. On the screen, the game is visually inspired by the old-fashioned design of classic video games such as Space Invaders or by the 3D-graphical universe of the old Vectrex console.

This confrontation goes on endlessly : each of the opponents crosses an asteroid field on which they shoot frantically, but the games never reaches the end. The players can’t win, loose or die.

The work presents a phenomenon of inversion : the human spectators are watching machines put in a situation usually attributed to human beings. The roles are redistributed here ; the humans become spectators of machines facing each other and interacting though other machines.

However, the robots/players fulfill their duty with the mechanical and obsessional behavior inherent to their artificial condition.

Game over and over asks these fundamental questions: does a fully automated world still need us? Can machines experience thrills or other feelings inherent to human activities such as games or competitions?