A live crowd transforms video games into performance art, as proven by Asses.Masses. The game, which combines elements of politics, industrialisation and labour, is played with 70 other people in a theatre setting.
On stage, there's a plinth displaying a controller - the instrument through which players take control - while the audience sits, offering advice and opinions on puzzles to solve. Whoever wants to play can jump up and do so, becoming an avatar of the crowd. The game is made up of 10 chapters with food breaks in between.
Asses.Masses encourages teamwork as it asks the group for input. A participant had Spanish knowledge while another understood engineering questions; author was somehow aware that a female donkey is called a jennet. It is, indeed, a collective experience.
The gameplay experience often resembles watching someone play on Twitch rather than actively participating in decision-making - an observation made by the theatre people familiar with video games but not necessarily those engaged in mass participation and crowd dynamics.
Players were able to connect as they laughed over some parts and discussed what to say or do next, making it a funny experience. The show also prioritises humour over realism, which is evident from its content warnings. A Glasgow performance sparked moral panic among Parents Watch Education who took up the headlines that the game was targeted at teenagers with simulated sex, murder and drugs, but the show's advertised age range confirms that 14+.
Despite an initial impression of herd mentality - what few decisions were made by the group actually counted as little more than watching someone else play.
On stage, there's a plinth displaying a controller - the instrument through which players take control - while the audience sits, offering advice and opinions on puzzles to solve. Whoever wants to play can jump up and do so, becoming an avatar of the crowd. The game is made up of 10 chapters with food breaks in between.
Asses.Masses encourages teamwork as it asks the group for input. A participant had Spanish knowledge while another understood engineering questions; author was somehow aware that a female donkey is called a jennet. It is, indeed, a collective experience.
The gameplay experience often resembles watching someone play on Twitch rather than actively participating in decision-making - an observation made by the theatre people familiar with video games but not necessarily those engaged in mass participation and crowd dynamics.
Players were able to connect as they laughed over some parts and discussed what to say or do next, making it a funny experience. The show also prioritises humour over realism, which is evident from its content warnings. A Glasgow performance sparked moral panic among Parents Watch Education who took up the headlines that the game was targeted at teenagers with simulated sex, murder and drugs, but the show's advertised age range confirms that 14+.
Despite an initial impression of herd mentality - what few decisions were made by the group actually counted as little more than watching someone else play.
people gettin all riled up about some gamer game thinkin its gonna corrupt their kiddos or somethin... newsflash: teenagers can handle a lil simdude and drugs, geez 
anyway, back to the actual thing... it sounds like its more of a weird social experiment than actual gameplay lol 70 ppl just chillin on stage while one person does the real work. feels like more of an audience participation fail than somethin that actually gets ppl engaged 
but at the same time, it feels kinda weird when ur watching someone else play instead of being in control ykm?
imagine being part of a live crowd deciding the game's outcome together! it's like a collaborative puzzle, where everyone contributes their skills & expertise 
and the fact that they're prioritizing humour over realism is a great move, because let's face it, life can get pretty ridiculous sometimes 
and who knows, maybe the crowd's input actually makes the game better? 
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. But at the same time, I could see why some parents might freak out about the 'mature themes' - simulated sex, murder, and drugs? That does sound pretty intense 
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