Wassily Bartuska

"Our Arms Must Be Mighty" consists of two major parts, illuminating the topic of violence in games.

"Our Arms Must Be Mighty – Feindbild" artistically examines the position of the player as an entity of agency in a limited model of grim aspects of reality, inspired by Eddo Stern's digital killing automaton Fort Paladin. The separation of the direct causation of action in a digital space, draws similarities to automated warfare employed in physical battlefields. Furthermore, by arbitrarily designating one type of digital character as the Feindbild this individual then beckons to be obliterated in pursuit of an arbitrarily "beneficial" outcome.

"Our Arms Must Be Mighty – Boot Camp" aims to serve as the progenitor of participants' critical analysis of commercial shooter games. Situated in a highly competitive nature, players are seduced by the thrills and splendor of virtual violence that aims to amplify the inherent ritualistic social domination in competitive video games as described by Christoph Bareither.