Is there any emancipatory potential in playing mainstream video games? And can war games convey pacifist messages? The work of the art collective Total Refusal seems to indicate that the answer is yes. It is so because its members do not play by the rules. They subvert the usual logic of game narratives and show how they are permeated with politics. In this artist talk, two of Total Refusal's members, game theorist Leonhard Müllner and illustrator and cultural anthropologist Robin Klengel, discuss the merging of capitalism with the gaming world and the possibilities of subversion. The talk is moderated by philosopher Václav Janoščík.
This episode was originally published on 5th July 2023.
