“Where does the game end and reality begin?” – Reflections & Questions Week 11/ Nov 20, 2019 (Shabnam)
Reality, as we know it, is a construct built within the social context.
Q – How does ARG blur the boundaries between make-believe and reality? And if it does so, how is it going to impact the human condition?
“You can describe anything as a game. A court of law is a game. An election cycle is a game. Life itself is a game.” (in the article: Game or Cult? The Alternate Reality of the Jejune Institute)
This statement endorses the concept of alternative reality.
It is intriguing to note the way ARG can be used as a tool for social change (referencing to Cultural Probe).
Q – In the social, political and global context, can ARG be used as a crucial tool for transformative action, over social media such as FB, Twitter, WhatsApp etc? (Or even using social media as in the case of Junko Junsai.)
Q – Do ARGs cater to the essential human need to belong to a social construct? (or cult) Watching the impact of an unknown ‘voice of authority’ on human action is demonstrative of the need to follow a leader. It also signifies the contagion effect – a tendency to imitate (dance, in this context), without understanding why, as seen in The Institute video. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/jp54ky/game-or-cult-the-alternate-reality-of-the-jejune-institute. It also alludes to the mesmerizing effect of mystery that we find attractive, almost like a curiosity to understand the world around us.
The ‘tea ceremony’ (video) is like a guided meditation workshop which is part of the socio re-engineering seminar. I’m wondering if this alludes to the need to be controlled or directed, to be steered towards satisfying an inherent curiosity to understand ourselves better.
The curiosity for a tangible understanding of what is inside our head drives us to engage in risk-taking ‘experiments’. ARG is a potent tool which caters to the human need to be controlled, yet conflicts with need for agency – the illusion of having control.
All these readings and videos, reminded me of a recent short film of mine, titled Kismet: it raises the question of whether the errors in life are a result of the choices we make, or determined by destiny, presumably written by the Sages several years ago. In this context our pre-destined life is represented by the ARG, and we make the ‘choices’ that determine the course of our actions and their consequences. (philosophical!)
If we have time in class, I’d like to share this 6 min short with the rest of you!