Critic from Machinista Jury:

Vadim Epstein: one of the key advantages of any game - the level of involvement of the gamer. another one - simplicity of actions and rules, leaving out the learning curve for it. this game beats most if not all the other for both parameters. it's not about sitting in comfortable armchair and moving the fingers; it's about heavy jumping and evading from War Machines to get the Money and save your Life [no matter that all these are just pixels of your imagination]. as for relevance to our main subject - please read review for 'remote controller' [submission #194] first; and if you also find any fun in being such a marionette - well, this means we are of one machinic blood, mowgli

Critic from the Memefest Jury members:

DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF

Arguments:
I like this project - particularly the use of an existing medium expose *other* uses of the same media. I'm very glad you brought this experience beyond the computer, as well, and into the real world. It forces a new perspective on the 'virtual,' and their application.

Suggestions:
The only direction I'd like to see you go in is configurability. How can people develop their own games and scenarios for this system? How can they bring in their own media samples?

Rating: 9

OLIVER VODEB

Arguments:
A complex and very well prepaired work. Yes i agree, gaming is a media environment where power relations are constructed, where a big part of culture is shaped and where a lot of time is spent playing the games. The communications approach is great! It would be good if two or more people could jump in to different maybe oposing roles(bush, Osama) and play at the same time, and compete, or if they could change roles during the game and would have to get used to the new game situation in a second. I havent also noticed the rules of the game- i mean what i have seen ot the videos was visually very good, but have not seen any actions of hte player accept avoiding the flying objects.

Suggestions:
As i said, id try to make the whole thing even more interactive. Do you think this concept could be used with some slight changes on other media too? let me know- oliver@memefest.org

Rating: 9

TOM LIACAS

Arguments:
excellent concept very original use of media fully interactive well documented

Suggestions:
Wow, the more I look into your work, the more I like it! For its interactivity, for its innovative use of media. for the way it engages the subject in the process and for the reflection that has gone behind this. I think you are opening up something with huge future potential. One comment- your comment on violence was to provide a violent experience. Do video games bring this out in us? Is there a way to use the games to bring out other things in us, things that are harder to access? Oh well, that could be for next year... For now, great work!

Rating: 9

PAUL DECHENE

Arguments:
I think this is a great effort and a very good idea, but something feels not quite right about it. I think one of the things that bothers me is that many games like this actually appeared on the internet shortly after the s11 attacks (minus the full-body interaction of course). There were games where you'd play a soldier or some GW Bush stand-in and go off and massacre Taliban fighters, or Iraqi planes, or whatever. Killing innocent civilians was even okay in a lot of these games. The full body immersion is a good idea on paper, but really I don't think it ups the stakes enough. Another thing that bugs me about this idea is that while it's an attempt to critique the war, the tools it uses and the particular way this critique is implemented can be far too easily co-opted by those who want to glorify the war. I suspect most of the kids in my neighbourhood would play this game and enjoy it. I doubt they would be inspired to think beyond the fact that it was a fun running-jumping-kicking game.

Suggestions:
I think the "game" element here is far too conventional. And the critique will be lost in the "fun". Perhaps by focussing on the cruelty of war more... or on its tediousness... this would work more like it is intended. I think the gameplay will be far too enjoyable, whereas I think it's intent should be to disturb the viewer more. Still, this is a very intriguing idea.

Rating: 6

Overall jury rating: 8.25