In his 2012 <a href="http://archive.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2012/04/29/the_avengers_collects_all_your_favorite_marvel_characters_in_one_handy_wannabe_blockbustersuper_groupthe_avengers_assembles_all_your_favorite_marvel_characters_in_one_handy_wannabe_blockbuster/">review</a> of the movie <em>The Avengers,</em> film critic of The Boston Globe, Tom Russo noted:

core/paragraph

<p>In his 2012 <a href="http://archive.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2012/04/29/the_avengers_collects_all_your_favorite_marvel_characters_in_one_handy_wannabe_blockbustersuper_groupthe_avengers_assembles_all_your_favorite_marvel_characters_in_one_handy_wannabe_blockbuster/">review</a> of the movie <em>The Avengers,</em> film critic of The Boston Globe, Tom Russo noted:</p>

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<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>The word “<em>universe</em>” is standard parlance in the comic book industry. [...] You don’t hear “<em>universe</em>” much in the film industry. Here in the real world — or Hollywood, at any rate — the prospect of mingling franchise characters is dauntingly complicated. &nbsp;Sure, we get a novelty such as “Alien vs. Predator” here and there, but rarely. Different studios hold rights to characters. Actors’ contracts can be tricky to coordinate — and so can their egos, one imagines.</p><cite>– <em><a href="http://archive.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2012/04/29/the_avengers_collects_all_your_favorite_marvel_characters_in_one_handy_wannabe_blockbustersuper_groupthe_avengers_assembles_all_your_favorite_marvel_characters_in_one_handy_wannabe_blockbuster/">Super Group - 'The Avengers' assembles all your favorite Marvel characters in one handy wannabe blockbuster<br></a></em><br></cite></blockquote>

The quote is a useful reminder that the era of the Big Comics crossover franchise, at least in cinema is barely a decade old.

<p>The quote is a useful reminder that the era of the Big Comics crossover franchise, at least in cinema is barely a decade old.</p>

Marvel's ambitious pace has been matched by staggering financial returns. Including the movies they used to strategically (re)introduce audiences to individual characters before <em>The Avengers</em> first assembled, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is now a catalogue of 28 films, with a further 11 in development, all in just 15 years. A single franchise that has amassed <em>billions</em> of global fans and  as of 2021 represents <a href="https://screenrant.com/marvel-movie-mcu-box-office-2021-details/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">30% of all US box office revenue</a> and generated <a href="https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchises" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$26.5B in global revenue since 2008</a>.

<p>Marvel's ambitious pace has been matched by staggering financial returns. Including the movies they used to strategically (re)introduce audiences to individual characters before <em>The Avengers</em> first assembled, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is now a catalogue of 28 films, with a further 11 in development, all in just 15 years. A single franchise that has amassed <em>billions</em> of global fans and  as of 2021 represents <a href="https://screenrant.com/marvel-movie-mcu-box-office-2021-details/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">30% of all US box office revenue</a> and generated <a href="https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchises" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$26.5B in global revenue since 2008</a>.</p>


<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/comicon-1-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-2597"/><figcaption>The long and winding path in the first entrance hall.</figcaption></figure>


core/image

<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/comicon-1-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-2597"/><figcaption>The long and winding path in the first entrance hall.</figcaption></figure>

The methods, platforms and regularity with which we consume, or become consumed by, has also been changing at a dizzy pace during this time. Marvel, along with Harry Potter, DC, Star Wars, Lord of The Rings (to name just a few) are the juggernauts of IP,  speculative fictional universes that are inducing a new era of immersive fandom that is continuously reprocessed across every concievable contemporary media from film, books, comics, computer games, mobile apps, theme parks, trading cards, cosplay and seemingly unlimited avenues for merchandise or online social presence and communities.

<p>The methods, platforms and regularity with which we consume, or become consumed by, has also been changing at a dizzy pace during this time. Marvel, along with Harry Potter, DC, Star Wars, Lord of The Rings (to name just a few) are the juggernauts of IP,  speculative fictional universes that are inducing a new era of immersive fandom that is continuously reprocessed across every concievable contemporary media from film, books, comics, computer games, mobile apps, theme parks, trading cards, cosplay and seemingly unlimited avenues for merchandise or online social presence and communities.</p>

The <em>condition of</em> fandom is by no means new, although the connective tissue of the digital age is allowing the entertainment and media companies controlling these franchise to offer the contemporary fan something altogether more boundless and integrated. Captivating oceans of glossy, social activated and deliciously addictive content. If "<em>politics is downstream of culture</em>", then fandom may very well be the melting glacier atop the mountain.

<p>The <em>condition of</em> fandom is by no means new, although the connective tissue of the digital age is allowing the entertainment and media companies controlling these franchise to offer the contemporary fan something altogether more boundless and integrated. Captivating oceans of glossy, social activated and deliciously addictive content. If "<em>politics is downstream of culture</em>", then fandom may very well be the melting glacier atop the mountain.</p>

What might be novel though is the scale and rich complexity that underpins the proposition of these 'universes', the result of decades of output by hundreds of authors and artists. Marvel films for instance can draw from a staggering diversity of story arcs and characters, given there are approximately approximately 27,000 comics in the series, so many in fact it is considered by some to be the largest continuous human narrative and it's speculated that only a handful of people, notably author Douglas Wolk and Marvel archivist Peter Sanderson and have read them all. The 4,868 pages that make up the Harry Potter books (including spin-offs) seems slight by comparison.

<p>What might be novel though is the scale and rich complexity that underpins the proposition of these 'universes', the result of decades of output by hundreds of authors and artists. Marvel films for instance can draw from a staggering diversity of story arcs and characters, given there are approximately approximately 27,000 comics in the series, so many in fact it is considered by some to be the largest continuous human narrative and it's speculated that only a handful of people, notably author Douglas Wolk and Marvel archivist Peter Sanderson and have read them all. The 4,868 pages that make up the Harry Potter books (including spin-offs) seems slight by comparison.</p>

This vastness enables a type of story-telling that can sustain countless spin-offs, callbacks, knowing references - interwoven narrative threads that might take a dozen movies to resolve, only to reappear in a video game demanding 100 hours of gameplay. A screenplay writer friend of mine once theorised that one of the major innovations of the crossover comic book film is that there is so little requirement for exposition that the movies can essentially begin with full tilt action, when in a more polite era of Hollywood the audience might expect to get at least 10 or 20 minutes to settle in.

<p>This vastness enables a type of story-telling that can sustain countless spin-offs, callbacks, knowing references - interwoven narrative threads that might take a dozen movies to resolve, only to reappear in a video game demanding 100 hours of gameplay. A screenplay writer friend of mine once theorised that one of the major innovations of the crossover comic book film is that there is so little requirement for exposition that the movies can essentially begin with full tilt action, when in a more polite era of Hollywood the audience might expect to get at least 10 or 20 minutes to settle in.  </p>

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core/columns

Personally speaking however, I feel like I missed the bus altogether, despite being deeply curios my knowledge of comic books is very patchy, which is why I took the chance to go to Comic Con, or more fully <strong>Movie Comic Media</strong> (MCM) London Comic Con 2022 at The Excel Centre. The trip was anything but premeditated however - I had been travelling on London's new Elizabeth Line when the carriage was suddenly overwhelmed with Cosplay - when the (Marvel) universe gives you a sign, you better act on it.

<p>Personally speaking however, I feel like I missed the bus altogether, despite being deeply curios my knowledge of comic books is very patchy, which is why I took the chance to go to Comic Con, or more fully <strong>Movie Comic Media</strong> (MCM) London Comic Con 2022 at The Excel Centre. The trip was anything but premeditated however - I had been travelling on London's new Elizabeth Line when the carriage was suddenly overwhelmed with Cosplay - when the (Marvel) universe gives you a sign, you better act on it. </p>

The cradle of Comic Book conventions is Comic Con San Diego, first held in 1976, steadily growing to 13,000 visitors by 1990, before exploding in popularity and reaching 130,000 by 2010.  Whether Comic Con or Comicon or Comic-Con is a legal trademark has been a major legal battle. I incorrectly assumed it was all part of the same happy family, but Comic Con London is distinctly not commercially related to San Diego.

<p>The cradle of Comic Book conventions is Comic Con San Diego, first held in 1976, steadily growing to 13,000 visitors by 1990, before exploding in popularity and reaching 130,000 by 2010.  Whether Comic Con or Comicon or Comic-Con is a legal trademark has been a major legal battle. I incorrectly assumed it was all part of the same happy family, but Comic Con London is distinctly not commercially related to San Diego.</p>

For all the observations that follow, and some of the overt cynicism I have for certain aspects of the industries involved -  almost everyone attending seemed to be having a contagiously fantastic time. Although precise numbers are hard to locate, The London Comic Con is one of, if not the largest convention held in the UK, frequently receiving upwards 130,000 visitors, rivalling Glastonbury in sheer numbers albeit requiring distinctly less investment of both time, money and exposure to the elements.

<p>For all the observations that follow, and some of the overt cynicism I have for certain aspects of the industries involved -  almost everyone attending seemed to be having a contagiously fantastic time. Although precise numbers are hard to locate, The London Comic Con is one of, if not the largest convention held in the UK, frequently receiving upwards 130,000 visitors, rivalling Glastonbury in sheer numbers albeit requiring distinctly less investment of both time, money and exposure to the elements.</p>

While the fictional universes of comic books is the glue, the real show is of course the Cosplay. It's trite observation, but Cosplay obviously gives affords an experience out of the everyday, a cheat code to a different way of socialising. The atmosphere at Comic Con is far more electric than I anticipated, a tangible slightly nervous atmosphere of hyperactivity, neon energy drinks and imported Japanese sweets. The buzz also seems almost entirely be generated by attendees interacting with each other, a plasma of awkward but joyful high-fives, photo opportunities and sparks of recognition.

<p>While the fictional universes of comic books is the glue, the real show is of course the Cosplay. It's trite observation, but Cosplay obviously gives affords an experience out of the everyday, a cheat code to a different way of socialising. The atmosphere at Comic Con is far more electric than I anticipated, a tangible slightly nervous atmosphere of hyperactivity, neon energy drinks and imported Japanese sweets. The buzz also seems almost entirely be generated by attendees interacting with each other, a plasma of awkward but joyful high-fives, photo opportunities and sparks of recognition. </p>

While clearly providing space for a particular form of personal expression in overdrive, it's simultaneously and studiously playing by a very particular logic. Comic Con is not a spectator sport,

<p>While clearly providing space for a particular form of personal expression in overdrive, it's simultaneously and studiously playing by a very particular logic. Comic Con is not a spectator sport, </p>

Everyone in attendance is either in everyday clothes or somewhere on a spectrum that builds from a few accessories, a bit of make-up, a knowing t-shirt, a mask to fully realised cosplay. Even the encounters with people in oversized, calculatedly terrifying horror costumes with might otherwise feel warmly friendly.

<p>Everyone in attendance is either in everyday clothes or somewhere on a spectrum that builds from a few accessories, a bit of make-up, a knowing t-shirt, a mask to fully realised cosplay. Even the encounters with people in oversized, calculatedly terrifying horror costumes with might otherwise feel warmly friendly.</p>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><p>While clearly providing space for a particular form of personal expression in overdrive, it's simultaneously and studiously playing by a very particular logic. Comic Con is not a spectator sport, </p><p>Everyone in attendance is either in everyday clothes or somewhere on a spectrum that builds from a few accessories, a bit of make-up, a knowing t-shirt, a mask to fully realised cosplay. Even the encounters with people in oversized, calculatedly terrifying horror costumes with might otherwise feel warmly friendly.</p><p></p></div>

<div class="wp-block-columns"><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/IMG_4577-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-2640"/></figure></div><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><p>While clearly providing space for a particular form of personal expression in overdrive, it's simultaneously and studiously playing by a very particular logic. Comic Con is not a spectator sport, </p><p>Everyone in attendance is either in everyday clothes or somewhere on a spectrum that builds from a few accessories, a bit of make-up, a knowing t-shirt, a mask to fully realised cosplay. Even the encounters with people in oversized, calculatedly terrifying horror costumes with might otherwise feel warmly friendly.</p><p></p></div></div>

Possibly the most jarring approach would be to attend as a character fully of your own invention, especially if it wasn't very good. Afterwards I also discovered that the American comedian Stephen Colbert did exactly this - attending Comic Con San Diego as artfully terrible "<a href="https://www.cc.com/video/zryrry/the-colbert-report-undercover-at-comic-con-prince-hawkcat">Prince Hawkcat</a>".

<p>Possibly the most jarring approach would be to attend as a character fully of your own invention, especially if it wasn't very good. Afterwards I also discovered that the American comedian Stephen Colbert did exactly this - attending Comic Con San Diego as artfully terrible "<a href="https://www.cc.com/video/zryrry/the-colbert-report-undercover-at-comic-con-prince-hawkcat">Prince Hawkcat</a>".</p>

There seems to be something of an unwritten rule that prevents the professional writers, actors and anyone in the 'biz' dressing up - "don't get high of your own supply" - although Cosplay it would seem is bounded the rules of it's fictional universe and some separation between fan and creator. There is a tradition of celebrities attending <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/comic-con-15-stars-costume-as-a-disguise-1014839/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">in disguise</a> (frequently while having something to promote) although it's curious that this is distinguishable from simple being in 'costume'.

<p>There seems to be something of an unwritten rule that prevents the professional writers, actors and anyone in the 'biz' dressing up - "don't get high of your own supply" - although Cosplay it would seem is bounded the rules of it's fictional universe and some separation between fan and creator. There is a tradition of celebrities attending <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/comic-con-15-stars-costume-as-a-disguise-1014839/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">in disguise</a> (frequently while having something to promote) although it's curious that this is distinguishable from simple being in 'costume'.</p>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Conventional Wisdom</h3>


core/heading

Through the lens of the original premise - that these franchises and 'fandom' are building a serious gravitational energy in society - the ritualism of Comic Con, seemingly governed by code of signals to fellow fans and celebration of everything fan-based represents this potential at it's most polychromatic. In their recently published book <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/314162/the-dawn-of-everything/9780141991061">The Dawn of Everything</a>, David Graeber and David Wengrow, reassess the perceived origins of egalitarianism by appreciating the complexity and diversity of how early human communities self-organised. They do so in part by establishing the importance of rituals, in particular seasonal festivals that fostered <em> "political self-consciousness... as laboratories of social possibility.</em>" A key component of this was the temporary upheaval of entrenched or status hierarchies, as they note:

<p>Through the lens of the original premise - that these franchises and 'fandom' are building a serious gravitational energy in society - the ritualism of Comic Con, seemingly governed by code of signals to fellow fans and celebration of everything fan-based represents this potential at it's most polychromatic. In their recently published book <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/314162/the-dawn-of-everything/9780141991061">The Dawn of Everything</a>, David Graeber and David Wengrow, reassess the perceived origins of egalitarianism by appreciating the complexity and diversity of how early human communities self-organised. They do so in part by establishing the importance of rituals, in particular seasonal festivals that fostered <em> "political self-consciousness... as laboratories of social possibility.</em>" A key component of this was the temporary upheaval of entrenched or status hierarchies, as they note:</p>

<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>... sometimes festivals are moments where entirely different social structures take over, such as the ‘youth abbeys’ that seem to have existed across medieval Europe, with their Boy Bishops, May Queens, Lords of Misrule, Abbots of Unreason and Princes of Sots, who during the Christmas, Mayday or carnival season temporarily took over many of the functions of government and enacted a bawdy parody of government’s everyday forms. ... The really powerful ritual moments are those of collective chaos, effervescence, liminality or creative play, out of which new social forms can come into the world.”</p><cite><strong>The Dawn of Everything, David Graeber and David Wengrow</strong></cite></blockquote>

Comic Con might is by no means an isolated extremity, all number of 'seasonal', increasingly popular, global festivals ranging from Burning Man, Coachella or even the Miami International Boat Show might also be equally valid subjects of investigation as contemporary rituals.

<p>Comic Con might is by no means an isolated extremity, all number of 'seasonal', increasingly popular, global festivals ranging from Burning Man, Coachella or even the Miami International Boat Show might also be equally valid subjects of investigation as contemporary rituals.</p>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">All Dressed Up and Nowhere To Go</h3>


<h3>All Dressed Up and Nowhere To Go</h3>

At the same time, one of the things that surprised me the most - despite a main stage and various panels and enormous scale - there isn't all that much to actually do. Granted I am not naturally inclined to spend hours browsing through comics but it didn't really seem anyone else was either. There's lots of queues to join, a zone to play vintage video and board games, a throng of food trucks parked incongruously inside. Much of the event is itself about taking photos, being present with the lore, acknowledging sparks of deep fan knowledge.  As a result my it felt equal parts over-saturating and underwhelming.

<p>At the same time, one of the things that surprised me the most - despite a main stage and various panels and enormous scale - there isn't all that much to actually do. Granted I am not naturally inclined to spend hours browsing through comics but it didn't really seem anyone else was either. There's lots of queues to join, a zone to play vintage video and board games, a throng of food trucks parked incongruously inside. Much of the event is itself about taking photos, being present with the lore, acknowledging sparks of deep fan knowledge.  As a result my it felt equal parts over-saturating and underwhelming.  </p>

Experiencing Comic Con for the first time though, what struck me most was the was the staging of the event itself. I was expecting something altogether more grandiose in setting but in the end it then it feels completely swallowed by the Excel center. It creates a very particular condition, an indoor car boot sale of dense fantastical fictional universes floating in endless, very contemporary infrastructural <em><a href="https://www.oma.com/publications/junkspace" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Junk Space</a></em>.

<p>Experiencing Comic Con for the first time though, what struck me most was the was the staging of the event itself. I was expecting something altogether more grandiose in setting but in the end it then it feels completely swallowed by the Excel center. It creates a very particular condition, an indoor car boot sale of dense fantastical fictional universes floating in endless, very contemporary infrastructural <em><a href="https://www.oma.com/publications/junkspace" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Junk Space</a></em>.</p>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><p>Experiencing Comic Con for the first time though, what struck me most was the was the staging of the event itself. I was expecting something altogether more grandiose in setting but in the end it then it feels completely swallowed by the Excel center. It creates a very particular condition, an indoor car boot sale of dense fantastical fictional universes floating in endless, very contemporary infrastructural <em><a href="https://www.oma.com/publications/junkspace" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Junk Space</a></em>.</p></div>

<div class="wp-block-columns alignwide"><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><p>Experiencing Comic Con for the first time though, what struck me most was the was the staging of the event itself. I was expecting something altogether more grandiose in setting but in the end it then it feels completely swallowed by the Excel center. It creates a very particular condition, an indoor car boot sale of dense fantastical fictional universes floating in endless, very contemporary infrastructural <em><a href="https://www.oma.com/publications/junkspace" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Junk Space</a></em>.</p></div><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:70%"><figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/comicon-10-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-2599"/></figure></div></div>

Conventions and trade shows have this sinking all-purpose soullessness and drabness to them by default, given the necessarily blank backdrop of convention centres, but expectations have probably also been warped by other events, notably technology and car shows where budgets are exponentially higher. London Comic Con isn't altogether very <em>showy</em>. This may be the particular cavernous blandness of the Excel Centre, looking at through images of Comic Con San Diego looks more vibrant, co-ordinated and vertical - at least in the photos.

<p>Conventions and trade shows have this sinking all-purpose soullessness and drabness to them by default, given the necessarily blank backdrop of convention centres, but expectations have probably also been warped by other events, notably technology and car shows where budgets are exponentially higher. London Comic Con isn't altogether very <em>showy</em>. This may be the particular cavernous blandness of the Excel Centre, looking at through images of Comic Con San Diego looks more vibrant, co-ordinated and vertical - at least in the photos.</p>

My assumptions have probably been distorted still further by watching videos of a new generation of immersive theme park zones, which offer visitors a full manifestation of their favourite fictional universe.

<p>My assumptions have probably been distorted still further by watching videos of a new generation of immersive theme park zones, which offer visitors a full manifestation of their favourite fictional universe.</p>

Spearheaded by <em>The Wizarding World of Harry Potter</em> at <em>Universal&nbsp;Studios Florida</em>, the current gold standard is the 14 acre <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oESoI6XxZTg">Star Wars: Galaxies Edge</a>, at Disney World, Florida. The latter is a full-stack chunk of the Star Wars universe  laborious detailed by Disney's Imagineering Department, with a unique currency, language, menus of interstellar cuisine and repackaged 'alien' bottles of <a href="https://wdwnt.com/2021/06/photos-themed-coca-cola-souvenir-bottles-return-to-star-wars-galaxys-edge-at-disneyland/">Coke and Sprite</a> and workshops to build a custom lightsaber (costing an additional $199.99). It was named one of Time magazines "World's Greatest Places 2019" and apparently popular enough upon opening that it all but emptied the rest of Disneyland.

<p>Spearheaded by <em>The Wizarding World of Harry Potter</em> at <em>Universal&nbsp;Studios Florida</em>, the current gold standard is the 14 acre <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oESoI6XxZTg">Star Wars: Galaxies Edge</a>, at Disney World, Florida. The latter is a full-stack chunk of the Star Wars universe  laborious detailed by Disney's Imagineering Department, with a unique currency, language, menus of interstellar cuisine and repackaged 'alien' bottles of <a href="https://wdwnt.com/2021/06/photos-themed-coca-cola-souvenir-bottles-return-to-star-wars-galaxys-edge-at-disneyland/">Coke and Sprite</a> and workshops to build a custom lightsaber (costing an additional $199.99). It was named one of Time magazines "World's Greatest Places 2019" and apparently popular enough upon opening that it all but emptied the rest of Disneyland. </p>

So popular in fact that an <a href="https://youtu.be/ExxxOmajklE?t=175" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">essentially identical version</a> has opened on the West Coast at Disneyland, with the same design and layout, shops and attractions. The most significant differences appear to be some tweaks to the colour scheme and two extra colourful milk-and-rum cocktails you can only find on the West Coast. Florida now however boasts the addition of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzFfnWGZ_WI" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Galactic Starcruiser</a>, a new experiential hotel costing a minimum of $4,809 per room on the two-night '<em>voyage</em>' that is part immersive theatre and part grounded "screens-for-windows" cruise ship.

<p> So popular in fact that an <a href="https://youtu.be/ExxxOmajklE?t=175" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">essentially identical version</a> has opened on the West Coast at Disneyland, with the same design and layout, shops and attractions. The most significant differences appear to be some tweaks to the colour scheme and two extra colourful milk-and-rum cocktails you can only find on the West Coast. Florida now however boasts the addition of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzFfnWGZ_WI" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Galactic Starcruiser</a>, a new experiential hotel costing a minimum of $4,809 per room on the two-night '<em>voyage</em>' that is part immersive theatre and part grounded "screens-for-windows" cruise ship.</p>

The desire to lose ourselves is these universes is seemingly limitless and astonishingly lucrative for the major studio, and so it's easy to imagine that such events and places will continue to balloon in scale an ambition. Graeber and Wengrow, again on the subject of early human rituals:

<p>The desire to lose ourselves is these universes is seemingly limitless and astonishingly lucrative for the major studio, and so it's easy to imagine that such events and places will continue to balloon in scale an ambition. Graeber and Wengrow, again on the subject of early human rituals:</p>

<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>“What’s really important about such festivals is that they kept the old spark of political self-consciousness alive. They allowed people to imagine that other arrangements are feasible, even for society as a whole, since it was always possible to fantasize about carnival bursting its seams and becoming the new reality. ... "May Day came to be chosen as the date for the international workers’ holiday largely because so many British peasant revolts had historically begun on that riotous festival. Villagers who played at ‘turning the world upside’ would periodically decide they actually preferred the world upside down, and took measures to keep it that way."</p></blockquote>

While by no means thinking of Comic Con's attendees as 'villagers' If we might think about what sort of political position the 'fan' represent with respect to the major studios. Playing 'Queen for the Day' has a direct relationship to the power structures of the day, but is pretending to be Iron Man a different repositioning? While fans of the genre will often decry that mainstream criticism is dismissive of the nuanced, richly political and social commentary that the most celebrated are built around, Comic Con itself doesn't immediately seem like an hotbed of revolutionary action, accidentally erupting or otherwise.

<p>While by no means thinking of Comic Con's attendees as 'villagers' If we might think about what sort of political position the 'fan' represent with respect to the major studios. Playing 'Queen for the Day' has a direct relationship to the power structures of the day, but is pretending to be Iron Man a different repositioning? While fans of the genre will often decry that mainstream criticism is dismissive of the nuanced, richly political and social commentary that the most celebrated are built around, Comic Con itself doesn't immediately seem like an hotbed of revolutionary action, accidentally erupting or otherwise.</p>

There is a reversal of sorts in operation though, these billion dollar industries could not exist without their fanbases and in a sense Cosplay is the assertion of the value of the fan identity. If a sizeable chunk of your disposable income, time, attention and perhaps most importantly <em>imagination</em> is sunk into these worlds, it's not unreasonable to read Cosplay as the a kind of ritualistic challenge to a mode of sovereignty and system of rules.

<p>There is a reversal of sorts in operation though, these billion dollar industries could not exist without their fanbases and in a sense Cosplay is the assertion of the value of the fan identity. If a sizeable chunk of your disposable income, time, attention and perhaps most importantly <em>imagination</em> is sunk into these worlds, it's not unreasonable to read Cosplay as the a kind of ritualistic challenge to a mode of sovereignty and system of rules.</p>

Curiously government action in Japan is likely to <a href="https://www.klemchuk.com/ideate/cosplay-in-japan-faces-new-copyright-law" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bring Cosplay under copyright law</a> where it has previously existed in something of a legal grey area that was mutually beneficial for fans and rights holders alike. The introduction of similar rules elsewhere could seriously destabilise fan-creator relationships. A curious feature of the contemporary fanbase it's self-awareness. To be a mature fan is also to navigate between IP's, aware of the frequently transactional nature of the experiences on offer, the shadiness of certain operators, to preempt the expiry date of a given character and to appreciate the purchasing power afforded by of one's own obsessions.

<p>Curiously government action in Japan is likely to <a href="https://www.klemchuk.com/ideate/cosplay-in-japan-faces-new-copyright-law" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bring Cosplay under copyright law</a> where it has previously existed in something of a legal grey area that was mutually beneficial for fans and rights holders alike. The introduction of similar rules elsewhere could seriously destabilise fan-creator relationships. A curious feature of the contemporary fanbase it's self-awareness. To be a mature fan is also to navigate between IP's, aware of the frequently transactional nature of the experiences on offer, the shadiness of certain operators, to preempt the expiry date of a given character and to appreciate the purchasing power afforded by of one's own obsessions. </p>

A paper Graeber and Wengrow's reflection on rituals is partly drawn from is <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40972203?seq=1">Adam Seligman</a>'s <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40972203?seq=1">Ritual, the Self, and Sincerity, (2008)</a>, he writes:

<p>A paper Graeber and Wengrow's reflection on rituals is partly drawn from is <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40972203?seq=1">Adam Seligman</a>'s <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40972203?seq=1">Ritual, the Self, and Sincerity, (2008)</a>, he writes:</p>

<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>... pure ritual puts questions of belief or truth aside in favor of the shared world... Thus ritual encompasses the ambiguity of life in a unique manner. It allows one to "play" with such ambiguity in a manner precluded by an undue concern with the authenticity of one's actions and beliefs. Ritual unshackles the mind from a need to believe in a dogma of our choosing, as long as we act properly. Ritual then is a critical device that allows us to live with ambiguity and the lack of full understanding.&nbsp;</p><cite>- <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40972203?seq=1">Adam B. Seligman,</a></cite></blockquote>

Speculating somewhat reductively, intense fandom also seems like an appropriate reaction to the increasing complexity of everyday life and the exponential growth in available information and connectivity. Fictional universes clearly offer escapism and respite from an otherwise extremely noisy reality while fostering real communality, at a time when many other institutions seem genuinely unable to. So while drawing a coherent politics from fandom is complicated, it maybe be useful source material for understanding political solidarity, if only for the quality of the relationships it establishes and the ease at which it's participants dissolve their differences.

<p>Speculating somewhat reductively, intense fandom also seems like an appropriate reaction to the increasing complexity of everyday life and the exponential growth in available information and connectivity. Fictional universes clearly offer escapism and respite from an otherwise extremely noisy reality while fostering real communality, at a time when many other institutions seem genuinely unable to. So while drawing a coherent politics from fandom is complicated, it maybe be useful source material for understanding political solidarity, if only for the quality of the relationships it establishes and the ease at which it's participants dissolve their differences. </p>

<p>As the slogan runs, <em>It's On Like Comic Con.</em></p>

0007 – Business As Usual

0005 – Model Behaviour

0004 – It’s On Like Comic Con

A trivial prediction about the future: <em>THE FINALS</em> – a forthcoming video game – is going to be a smash hit.

<p>A trivial prediction about the future: <em>THE FINALS</em> – a forthcoming video game – is going to be a smash hit.</p>

There are two aspects that already stand-out. Firstly the setting: it's a multiplayer computer game that takes place in a future multi-media 'TV show', in which contestants compete within a holographic simulation . This self-referential tangle of simulacra is curious enough but that's just set-up for the main pitch - an attempt to realise a long-help game developer dream: the fully destructible environment.

<p>There are two aspects that already stand-out. Firstly the setting: it's a multiplayer computer game that takes place in a future multi-media 'TV show', in which contestants compete within a holographic simulation . This self-referential tangle of simulacra is curious enough but that's just set-up for the main pitch - an attempt to realise a long-help game developer dream: the fully destructible environment.</p>

Some definitional house-keeping. The '<em>Fully Destructible Environment</em>' refers to the long-held ambition in video game development to realise levels that can be dynamically destroyed, materially reconfigured and potentially rebuilt, in real-time by players. The key principle is that this should be achieved through physics simulation – as opposed to pre-baked animation –&nbsp;to give players a sense of boundless agency. As Rob Runesson from the studio developing The Finals states:

<p>Some definitional house-keeping. The '<em>Fully Destructible Environment</em>' refers to the long-held ambition in video game development to realise levels that can be dynamically destroyed, materially reconfigured and potentially rebuilt, in real-time by players. The key principle is that this should be achieved through physics simulation – as opposed to pre-baked animation –&nbsp;to give players a sense of boundless agency. As Rob Runesson from the studio developing The Finals states:</p>

<p>“Many of us at Embark have been building first-person shooters for more than two decades, but just when we thought we were finished with the genre, we unlocked a developer’s <em>Holy Grail</em>”</p>

<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>“Many of us at Embark have been building first-person shooters for more than two decades, but just when we thought we were finished with the genre, we unlocked a developer’s <em>Holy Grail</em>”</p><cite>Rob Runesson, executive producer of The Finals (via <a href="https://venturebeat.com/games/embark-studios-unveils-the-finals-team-based-shooter-game/">venturebeat.com</a>)</cite></blockquote>

The conceit of a video game in which the entire environment might be destroyed by its players has been dangling like a wrecking-ball over the industry from its earliest days, which developers desperately keen to open ways for players to discover their own novel spatial strategies beyond the normally hard limits of the game space.

<p class="wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio">The conceit of a video game in which the entire environment might be destroyed by its players has been dangling like a wrecking-ball over the industry from its earliest days, which developers desperately keen to open ways for players to discover their own novel spatial strategies beyond the normally hard limits of the game space. </p>

Providing real-time multiplayer consistency for dynamic destruction is a serious technical and financial challenge and in the case of THE FINALS, the output of a 200 strong dev-team with some serious industry experience, before even considering the requirements for network bandwidth and server infrastructure with enormous graphical and computation power,, alongside some fiendishly good engine code for in-game physics simulations and animations under-the-hood. Embark Studios, the developers behind "The Finals," was founded by five former employees of DICE, the creators of "Mirror's Edge" - a noteworthy backstory given how the game pushed the boundaries of proprioceptive stimulation in gaming during a time when virtual reality was not yet mainstream.

<p class="wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio">Providing real-time multiplayer consistency for dynamic destruction is a serious technical and financial challenge and in the case of THE FINALS, the output of a 200 strong dev-team with some serious industry experience, before even considering the requirements for network bandwidth and server infrastructure with enormous graphical and computation power,, alongside some fiendishly good engine code for in-game physics simulations and animations under-the-hood. Embark Studios, the developers behind "The Finals," was founded by five former employees of DICE, the creators of "Mirror's Edge" - a noteworthy backstory given how the game pushed the boundaries of proprioceptive stimulation in gaming during a time when virtual reality was not yet mainstream.</p>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:33%"><blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p><em>“The World Is Your Weapon (And Enemy)<strong>&nbsp;</strong>&nbsp;- A skilled contender might go in guns blazing, but with environmental destruction in your arsenal, that’s just the start of what you can wield against your foes!</em></p><p></p><cite>Marketing quote from THE FINALS Steam page</cite></blockquote></div>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><p>So many previous games have used such destructive potential as marketing plot without fully producing the goods, that gamers are inherently suspicious - previous attempts include, "Red Faction" (2001), which introduced "Geo-Mod" technology for real-time environmental destruction, "Battlefield: Bad Company" (2008), which popularised the concept of "<em>levolution</em>," where large-scale destruction could dynamically change a map, and "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCXgS91-Mj8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Just Cause</a>" series, which has consistently pushed the limits of open-world destruction.<br><br></p></div>

<div class="wp-block-columns alignwide"><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:33%"><blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p><em>“The World Is Your Weapon (And Enemy)<strong>&nbsp;</strong>&nbsp;- A skilled contender might go in guns blazing, but with environmental destruction in your arsenal, that’s just the start of what you can wield against your foes!</em></p><p></p><cite>Marketing quote from THE FINALS Steam page</cite></blockquote></div><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><p>So many previous games have used such destructive potential as marketing plot without fully producing the goods, that gamers are inherently suspicious - previous attempts include, "Red Faction" (2001), which introduced "Geo-Mod" technology for real-time environmental destruction, "Battlefield: Bad Company" (2008), which popularised the concept of "<em>levolution</em>," where large-scale destruction could dynamically change a map, and "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCXgS91-Mj8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Just Cause</a>" series, which has consistently pushed the limits of open-world destruction.<br><br></p></div></div>


<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Tear It Down And Start Again</h4>


The best-selling indie game <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1167630/Teardown/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tear Down</a> could make a serious claim for having got their first, albeit with an entirely different approach. To the casual observer, the game might be appear initially as a higher resolution version of Minecraft but in reality is the result of developer Dennis Gustafsson's continuous pursuit of real-time simulation. The neat solution to the escalating computational complexity in destructible environments, was to express the game world as voxels or three-dimensional pixels, allowing for wildly interactive environments that not only run in real time on most hardware but also allowed for a thriving modding community to create custom levels and scenarios, massively widening the game's destructive and constructive potential.

<p>The best-selling indie game <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1167630/Teardown/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tear Down</a> could make a serious claim for having got their first, albeit with an entirely different approach. To the casual observer, the game might be appear initially as a higher resolution version of Minecraft but in reality is the result of developer Dennis Gustafsson's continuous pursuit of real-time simulation. The neat solution to the escalating computational complexity in destructible environments, was to express the game world as voxels or three-dimensional pixels, allowing for wildly interactive environments that not only run in real time on most hardware but also allowed for a thriving modding community to create custom levels and scenarios, massively widening the game's destructive and constructive potential.</p>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><p>For those following the development of Tear Down in the years up until it's official release, it sometimes appeared more akin to a game engine in search of a game - by no means a criticism, but more an indication of what the perceived potential of unlimited physical sandboxes might be. The result is that the game feels both highly responsive and 'physical' but that provides ASMR-like sensory satisfaction, as sticky chunks clump and wispy plumes of voxels evaporate. The introduction of real-time ray-traced lighting into the otherwise pixellated world gives the environment a strange uncanniness, as if experiencing hyper reality in low resolution. Tear Down is soon likely to reach a far wider audience due to the acquisition of its developer 'Tuxedo Labs' by Swedish media conglomerate The Embracer Group and forthcoming releases on major console platforms. </p></div>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:25%"><figure class="wp-block-image alignfull size-full"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/tear-down.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3519"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Teardown (Ray-tracing On)</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-columns alignwide"><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><p>For those following the development of Tear Down in the years up until it's official release, it sometimes appeared more akin to a game engine in search of a game - by no means a criticism, but more an indication of what the perceived potential of unlimited physical sandboxes might be. The result is that the game feels both highly responsive and 'physical' but that provides ASMR-like sensory satisfaction, as sticky chunks clump and wispy plumes of voxels evaporate. The introduction of real-time ray-traced lighting into the otherwise pixellated world gives the environment a strange uncanniness, as if experiencing hyper reality in low resolution. Tear Down is soon likely to reach a far wider audience due to the acquisition of its developer 'Tuxedo Labs' by Swedish media conglomerate The Embracer Group and forthcoming releases on major console platforms. </p></div><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:25%"><figure class="wp-block-image alignfull size-full"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/tear-down.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3519"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Teardown (Ray-tracing On)</figcaption></figure></div></div>

Part of it's initial success has been the growth of a community of modders, since Tear Down presents it's sandbox as a core component of the game, becoming in turn perhaps the most accessible realistic physical engine for other purposes. While the use of video game engines as home brew simulation environments has a long folk and research history, including both CryEngine, the GTA5 sandbox or the Quake 3 engine as primary tools, Tear Down is an increasingly popular choice for young content makers experimentally simulating explosions, battles and nuclear attacks.

<p>Part of it's initial success has been the growth of a community of modders, since Tear Down presents it's sandbox as a core component of the game, becoming in turn perhaps the most accessible realistic physical engine for other purposes. While the use of video game engines as home brew simulation environments has a long folk and research history, including both CryEngine, the GTA5 sandbox or the Quake 3 engine as primary tools, Tear Down is an increasingly popular choice for young content makers experimentally simulating explosions, battles and nuclear attacks.</p>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:66%"><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAYeVlTNaDU
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">"Teardown Realistic WTC Simulation" by KA Videos</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:33%"><p>By far the most popular sub-genre however is recreations of 9/11. Although such attempts might at first seem flippant or desensitised click-chasing online content, they might also be read as the method of historical engagement. Since possessing a memory of the attacks (most often as a media event for those not geographically affected) now demarcates a line between generations, the simulation of the events might represent a form of processing.</p></div>

<div class="wp-block-columns alignwide"><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:66%"><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAYeVlTNaDU
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">"Teardown Realistic WTC Simulation" by KA Videos</figcaption></figure></div><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:33%"><p>By far the most popular sub-genre however is recreations of 9/11. Although such attempts might at first seem flippant or desensitised click-chasing online content, they might also be read as the method of historical engagement. Since possessing a memory of the attacks (most often as a media event for those not geographically affected) now demarcates a line between generations, the simulation of the events might represent a form of processing.</p></div></div>


<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Reality Check</h4>


The utilisation of this in-game power should come as now surprise. The invention of any simulation seems to demand that it be run to logical disintegration. If we are not attacking each other (player vs player, aka PVP) then the next target will be the game environment itself (player vs environment aka PVE).

<p>The utilisation of this in-game power should come as now surprise. The invention of any simulation seems to demand that it be run to logical disintegration. If we are not attacking each other (player vs player, aka PVP) then the next target will be the game environment itself (player vs environment aka PVE).</p>

Perhaps it goes without saying however that there is deep futility in writing about destruction with respect to digital media at a moment when both ecological degradation is full flow and the reality of human conflict is nearly ever present not just in everyday streams of information but as a lived reality for many around the world.

<p>Perhaps it goes without saying however that there is deep futility in writing about destruction with respect to digital media at a moment when both ecological degradation is full flow and the reality of human conflict is nearly ever present not just in everyday streams of information but as a lived reality for many around the world.</p>

Given the age of ecological destruction and real-world conflict in which we live, what does it mean that developers are finally realising this cherished goal now, and why was it such a long-standing goal? Living in an era when such simulations are such an important component of work, leisure, policy and everything in between may also however give us pause to reflect on a few things what it means to push them to their limits.

<p>Given the age of ecological destruction and real-world conflict in which we live, what does it mean that developers are finally realising this cherished goal now, and why was it such a long-standing goal? Living in an era when such simulations are such an important component of work, leisure, policy and everything in between may also however give us pause to reflect on a few things what it means to push them to their limits. </p>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcKL-_RtU5Y
</div></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:33%"><p>Simulation and strategic gaming has always been interlinked with military research and actions, from the the earliest days of flight simulation, the advent of military war-gaming in the 18th century or the contemporary drone pilot, as extensively explored but the late and highly influential artist <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tERIscWmpSo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harun Farocki.</a></p><p><br>Not only should we keep the realities of such violence in the forefront of our minds, but we need to be especially careful to avoid demeaning it by confusing the media presentation with the underlying reality, however much the medium is massaged. </p></div>

<div class="wp-block-columns alignwide"><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcKL-_RtU5Y
</div></figure></div><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:33%"><p>Simulation and strategic gaming has always been interlinked with military research and actions, from the the earliest days of flight simulation, the advent of military war-gaming in the 18th century or the contemporary drone pilot, as extensively explored but the late and highly influential artist <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tERIscWmpSo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harun Farocki.</a></p><p><br>Not only should we keep the realities of such violence in the forefront of our minds, but we need to be especially careful to avoid demeaning it by confusing the media presentation with the underlying reality, however much the medium is massaged. </p></div></div>

Games are of course by no means the only use of physical simulations and some of the most visceral intersections of technology are by those extending the boundaries of where simulation can be applied. For instance of the output of Forensic Architecture, most recently in collaboration with Kiev-based <a href="https://spatialtech.info">The Centre of Spatial Technology</a> analysing the Russian attacks on Ukraine. Their recent work documenting the <a href="https://investigations.support/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mariupol Theatre</a> is profound, unsettling and deeply moving, demonstrating why the toolset of digital simulation tools and 'forensic' methodologies provide such a unique vantage point on such tragic events.

<p>Games are of course by no means the only use of physical simulations and some of the most visceral intersections of technology are by those extending the boundaries of where simulation can be applied. For instance of the output of Forensic Architecture, most recently in collaboration with Kiev-based <a href="https://spatialtech.info">The Centre of Spatial Technology</a> analysing the Russian attacks on Ukraine. Their recent work documenting the <a href="https://investigations.support/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mariupol Theatre</a> is profound, unsettling and deeply moving, demonstrating why the toolset of digital simulation tools and 'forensic' methodologies provide such a unique vantage point on such tragic events.</p>

Simulations are never neutral, nor can they be untangled from the real world political context in which they take place. On the contrary the more we investigate the simulation as a perhaps the default medium of our contemporary era we may come to understand how much they reveal about the human social psyche.

<p>Simulations are never neutral, nor can they be untangled from the real world political context in which they take place. On the contrary the more we investigate the simulation as a perhaps the default medium of our contemporary era we may come to understand how much they reveal about the human social psyche.</p>

<br>As such it might be more important than to focus on the condition of the simulation rather than meaning of its 'destruction'. Destruction is such a prevalent motif within the histories of theatre, cinema or art, especially since the 20th Century that we can bump into seemingly pertinent references almost by accident. Some that spring immediately to mind: Pipilotti Rist "<em>Ever is Over All</em>", Gordon-Matta Clarks <em>Conical Intersect</em>, Betye Saar's <em>Liberation of Aunt Jemima: Cocktail</em>, Gustav Metzger's auto-destruction, Basinki's <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgVyl9CxHpM" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Disintegration Loops </a></em>(itself a response to September 11th). All of these artworks represent a highly charged and expressive relationship to 'destruction' as a response to an overbearing, unjust and chaotic world.

<p><br>As such it might be more important than to focus on the condition of the simulation rather than meaning of its 'destruction'. Destruction is such a prevalent motif within the histories of theatre, cinema or art, especially since the 20th Century that we can bump into seemingly pertinent references almost by accident. Some that spring immediately to mind: Pipilotti Rist "<em>Ever is Over All</em>", Gordon-Matta Clarks <em>Conical Intersect</em>, Betye Saar's <em>Liberation of Aunt Jemima: Cocktail</em>, Gustav Metzger's auto-destruction, Basinki's <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgVyl9CxHpM" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Disintegration Loops </a></em>(itself a response to September 11th). All of these artworks represent a highly charged and expressive relationship to 'destruction' as a response to an overbearing, unjust and chaotic world. </p>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/file-20171109-13344-1fnpe6x.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3631"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Pipilotti Rist "<em>Ever is Over All</em>", (1997)</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2017.17_front_PS11-715x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3626"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><a href="https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/222983#:~:text=In%20Liberation%20of%20Aunt%20Jemima,a%20composition%20with%20spiritual%20overtones." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Betye Saar,&nbsp;<em>Liberation of Aunt Jemima: Cocktail&nbsp;</em>(1973)</a></figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-columns alignwide"><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/file-20171109-13344-1fnpe6x.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3631"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Pipilotti Rist "<em>Ever is Over All</em>", (1997)</figcaption></figure></div><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2017.17_front_PS11-715x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3626"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><a href="https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/222983#:~:text=In%20Liberation%20of%20Aunt%20Jemima,a%20composition%20with%20spiritual%20overtones." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Betye Saar,&nbsp;<em>Liberation of Aunt Jemima: Cocktail&nbsp;</em>(1973)</a></figcaption></figure></div></div>


<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Reticulating Splines</h4>


From the earliest days of Asteroids (1979), Dig Dug and (1982) through to the ultimate cash extractive simulating behemoth Minecraft (2011) –  238 million sales and counting –  a large percentage of videos games rely on some sort of environmental reconfiguration, if not outright terraforming as a core mechanic. Both conceptually and narratively, environmental destruction and its consequences appear almost baked into video games as a medium.

<p>From the earliest days of Asteroids (1979), Dig Dug and (1982) through to the ultimate cash extractive simulating behemoth Minecraft (2011) –  238 million sales and counting –  a large percentage of videos games rely on some sort of environmental reconfiguration, if not outright terraforming as a core mechanic. Both conceptually and narratively, environmental destruction and its consequences appear almost baked into video games as a medium.</p>

Which might not be such a surprise given the entire development of the industry and the simulation technologies it has pioneered, have emerged in parallel with the growing scientific understanding – and political consciousness – of the ecological impacts of humanity.

<p>Which might not be such a surprise given the entire development of the industry and the simulation technologies it has pioneered, have emerged in parallel with the growing scientific understanding – and political consciousness – of the ecological impacts of humanity.</p>

1972, arguably the breakthrough year of the modern game industry saw the release of the major first hit – "<em>Pong</em>" alongside what is now regarded as the first home console system "<em>Odyssey</em>". The latter was unveiled by it's creators <em>Magnavox</em> in May 1972, just weeks before the first <em>United Nations Conference on the Human Environment</em> – the first international summit focused on environmental policy – in Stockholm, Sweden.

<p>1972, arguably the breakthrough year of the modern game industry saw the release of the major first hit – "<em>Pong</em>" alongside what is now regarded as the first home console system "<em>Odyssey</em>". The latter was unveiled by it's creators <em>Magnavox</em> in May 1972, just weeks before the first <em>United Nations Conference on the Human Environment</em> – the first international summit focused on environmental policy – in Stockholm, Sweden.</p>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/matta-clark.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3520"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Conical Intersect</em> (1975), Gordon Matta Clark</figcaption></figure>


<br>Between October 9th - 15th 1985, the succinctly titled<em> "International Conference of the Assessment of the Role of Carbon Dioxide and of Other Greenhouse Gases in Climate Variations and Associated Impacts</em>" convened in Villach, Austria - concluding with a decision to establish the "<em>Advisory Group on Greenhouse Gases</em>" (AGGG) – later reorganised as the IPCC. Three days later, on October 18th, Super Mario Bros was released in North America, kick-starting a revolution in home video games.

<p><br>Between October 9th - 15th 1985, the succinctly titled<em> "International Conference of the Assessment of the Role of Carbon Dioxide and of Other Greenhouse Gases in Climate Variations and Associated Impacts</em>" convened in Villach, Austria - concluding with a decision to establish the "<em>Advisory Group on Greenhouse Gases</em>" (AGGG) – later reorganised as the IPCC. Three days later, on October 18th, Super Mario Bros was released in North America, kick-starting a revolution in home video games.</p>

On 5th May, 1992,  the hugely popular first-person shooter <em>Wolfenstein 3D</em> was released, the start of the new era of 3D game engines, spearheaded by its developer, Id software. Just four days later on 9th May, the draft text for The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (<a href="http://unfccc.int/2860.php">UNFCCC</a>) was finalised in New York, before being ratified later that year at the Rio 'Earth Summit'.

<p>On 5th May, 1992,  the hugely popular first-person shooter <em>Wolfenstein 3D</em> was released, the start of the new era of 3D game engines, spearheaded by its developer, Id software. Just four days later on 9th May, the draft text for The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (<a href="http://unfccc.int/2860.php">UNFCCC</a>) was finalised in New York, before being ratified later that year at the Rio 'Earth Summit'.</p>


<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/qa-how-do-climate-models-work/"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fig-1-4.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3547"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Via Carbon Brief: Increasing spatial resolution of climate models used through the first four IPCC assessment reports: first (“FAR”) published in 1990, second (“SAR”) in 1995, third (“TAR”) in 2001 and fourth (“AR4”) in 2007. (Note, there is also a fifth report, which was completed in 2014). Source:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/figure-1-4.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IPCC AR4, Fig 1.2</a></figcaption></figure>


Fast forward to 1997 and the wildly popular "Final Fantasy VII", in which the player takes on the role of Cloud Strife, who alongside an eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE, fights against a corporation named Shinra, who are draining the planet's life energy for profit. Also released - The Kyoto Protocol.

<p>Fast forward to 1997 and the wildly popular "Final Fantasy VII", in which the player takes on the role of Cloud Strife, who alongside an eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE, fights against a corporation named Shinra, who are draining the planet's life energy for profit. Also released - The Kyoto Protocol.</p>

In 2016, sandwiched between the draft and the legal adoption of The Paris Climate Agreement, Niantic released the global phenomenon Pokémon Go, a watershed in mobile and augmented reality gaming.

<p>In 2016, sandwiched between the draft and the legal adoption of The Paris Climate Agreement, Niantic released the global phenomenon Pokémon Go, a watershed in mobile and augmented reality gaming.</p>

While these dates are cherry-picked as curious coincidences – in a 50 year window, the importance of climate science and environmental policy have expanded as seismically as market for computer games – all in their own ways downstream of an explosion in computation and network bandwidth.

<p>While these dates are cherry-picked as curious coincidences – in a 50 year window, the importance of climate science and environmental policy have expanded as seismically as market for computer games – all in their own ways downstream of an explosion in computation and network bandwidth.</p>


<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Gaming The System</h4>


There is also a long history of games as direct expressions of the environmental movement, such as the 1970's board games <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3709/smog" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Smog</a>, encouraging players to grow a city without polluting the air or <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/7458/ecology-game-man-nature" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ecology: The Game of Man and Nature</a>.  Among dozens of more recent examples are <a href="https://beyondbluegame.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Beyond Blue</a> (an ocean exploration simulator) and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW7MdbiGzo4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fort McMonye</a> (2013) A 'film meets game' documentary by <a href="http://www.davduf.net/-fort-mcmoney-?lang=fr" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">David</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@davduf"> Dufresne</a> investigating the Canada's oil sands petroleum industry.  As a sub-genre though it can feels too worthy – see the European Commission funded: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfx3IcM8Pyw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EnerCities (2011)</a> – and potentially even just too <em>boring</em> to provide anything like mainstream 'gamer' appeal.

<p>There is also a long history of games as direct expressions of the environmental movement, such as the 1970's board games <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3709/smog" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Smog</a>, encouraging players to grow a city without polluting the air or <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/7458/ecology-game-man-nature" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ecology: The Game of Man and Nature</a>.  Among dozens of more recent examples are <a href="https://beyondbluegame.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Beyond Blue</a> (an ocean exploration simulator) and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW7MdbiGzo4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fort McMonye</a> (2013) A 'film meets game' documentary by <a href="http://www.davduf.net/-fort-mcmoney-?lang=fr" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">David</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@davduf"> Dufresne</a> investigating the Canada's oil sands petroleum industry.  As a sub-genre though it can feels too worthy – see the European Commission funded: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfx3IcM8Pyw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EnerCities (2011)</a> – and potentially even just too <em>boring</em> to provide anything like mainstream 'gamer' appeal. </p>


<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/terra-nil-announcement-trailer.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3542"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Screenshot for the recently released Terra Nil in which players transform barren land into thriving, non-human ecosystems.</figcaption></figure>


One of the few attempts to cut through is the recently released Terra-Nil from Cape Town based developers Free Lives (more on this in a forthcoming review). Terra Nil relies on the satisfaction generated from the restoration of equilibrium to an an otherwise ravaged ecosystem, through controlled fires, mangrove restoration and geo-engineering. It manages to satiate both a desire for fun and mindful reflection, although perhaps at the cost of underselling the difficulties of IRL ecosystem recovery.

<p>One of the few attempts to cut through is the recently released Terra-Nil from Cape Town based developers Free Lives (more on this in a forthcoming review). Terra Nil relies on the satisfaction generated from the restoration of equilibrium to an an otherwise ravaged ecosystem, through controlled fires, mangrove restoration and geo-engineering. It manages to satiate both a desire for fun and mindful reflection, although perhaps at the cost of underselling the difficulties of IRL ecosystem recovery.</p>


<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Object Impermanence</h4>


Why such simulations are so compelling is complex question, but it may be that on a simple level pattern formation and recognition are so central to the nature of human cognition that we might understand such destructive tendencies as representing neural light relief. Are we gaining some great release by freeing our prefrontal cortex from the intense strain of decision-making and impulse control, or IRL moral and ethical constraints? Perhaps we in fact inhabiting a state of blissful Buddhist impermanence.

<p>Why such simulations are so compelling is complex question, but it may be that on a simple level pattern formation and recognition are so central to the nature of human cognition that we might understand such destructive tendencies as representing neural light relief. Are we gaining some great release by freeing our prefrontal cortex from the intense strain of decision-making and impulse control, or IRL moral and ethical constraints? Perhaps we in fact inhabiting a state of blissful Buddhist impermanence.</p>

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