"Regarding pain"
a film by Felix Klee
Documentary / Machinima / Essay / ca. 15min. / color / HD / 4:3 / in production
In the online shooter "The Division", New York has fallen into chaos. A pandemic has triggered civil-war-like conditions. The suffering of the people of New York is the backdrop to the so-called "loot shooter" by Ubisoft.
"Regarding pain" is an observational documentary that brings the suffering of non-playable characters (NPCs) into the foreground. These characters wander the streets day and night. They observe violence and pain caused by other NPCs and the players. They register it, reflect it, and move on. Thus, hundreds of NPCs make their rounds in digital New York on endless trajectories that play out in variations but ultimately repeat endless suffering.
a film by Felix Klee
Documentary / Machinima / Essay / ca. 15min. / color / HD / 4:3 / in production
In the online shooter "The Division", New York has fallen into chaos. A pandemic has triggered civil-war-like conditions. The suffering of the people of New York is the backdrop to the so-called "loot shooter" by Ubisoft.
"Regarding pain" is an observational documentary that brings the suffering of non-playable characters (NPCs) into the foreground. These characters wander the streets day and night. They observe violence and pain caused by other NPCs and the players. They register it, reflect it, and move on. Thus, hundreds of NPCs make their rounds in digital New York on endless trajectories that play out in variations but ultimately repeat endless suffering.
"Regarding pain" is shot over the shoulder of a non-violent player-character that registers the game world by using weapons scopes, cover-mechanics and third-person-perspectives.
"Regarding Pain" references Susan Sontag's influential essay "Regarding the pain of others" and applies the issues of photographic ethics, reception critique, and power imbalances in representation to the digital urban space of "The Division". The actual gameplay is absent. What remains are the traces of violence and the partly absurd performativity of the suffering that takes place in the background.
Footage collection / rough cut (work in progress):
