disclaimer:
we never felt as though we belonged to the world of theatre. preferring to couch our practice in participatory performance and public intervention. the artform lineage we fell in love with 20 years ago slipped somewhere between political activism, live art, and experimental practice. we always saw it as a stunningly audacious creative home with no walls and the freedom to take risks and we liked it that way. it allowed us to situate ourselves outside on the streets, gave us license to misbehave with form and content and, most importantly, it led us to think about the deeper potential of audience as our creative comrades, not as spectators but activators; like sleeper cells waiting for a phone call as their trigger to sneak outside and turn the world upside down.[1]
play, as in games, is our weapon of choice. we use games to encourage participation and as a thin veil to get away with some collective sly mischief. in the guardian online article ‘20 predictions for the next 25 years’[2] jane mcgonigal imagines a future where games serve a social purpose beyond entertainment, enabling problem solving through cooperative play. could playing a non-competitive board game offer a framework towards implementing a universal basic income? could playing an escape room scenario offer a solution for the geo-politics of climate change? could immersing yourself in a vr minecraft experience help explore the ethics around in-vitro meat and synthetic foods? games as a tactical tool for critical enquiry into real world issues excites us a great deal. as we project our imaginations into this future we see the possibilities of new technologies undermining old forms of cultural, political power and a seismic shift of belief in the value of creativity to tackle major systemic problems. we see a new politic of collaboration based on the collision of skill sets from across industries and sectors. we see bold acts of civic improvement through civil disobedience with citizens directly affecting the change they want to see. we see ourselves on the front line with them.
‘a game for world leaders to play’ is an impossible work we would dearly love to make. perhaps not right now but at some point in the next 25 years. getting it out of our heads conceptually has been a lot of fun. we hold onto this imagined work with an equal degree of fear and excitement, the best combination of feelings when trying to make new work.
[1] pvi collective are anti capitalists and don’t use capital letters
[2] 20 predictions for the next 25 years, no. 10, gaming: ‘we’ll play games to solve problems’ – jane mcgonigal, the guardian, 11 january 2011, https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/jan/02/25-predictions-25-years.
“had leaders shown more solidarity, empathy and compassion to their people, we would have much less conflict at this time. that is why I have been urging leaders: please put the public common good ahead of everything else, ahead of your personal, narrow or regional perspectives.”
ban ki-moon, u.n secretary general 2007 – 2016
‘a game for world leaders to play’ is a permanent vr escape room[1] which has been installed in an underground bunker in the hague. in collaboration with the hague institute for global justice, the escape room offers a period of radical professional development for world leaders to explore the consequences of their decision making, alongside the citizens who will be directly affected by it.
world leaders receive an exclusive invite which outlines major areas of concern in relation to their leadership style and policies.
part boot camp, part active problem solving, ‘a game for world leaders to play’ is an immersive social play experiment themed around 21st century survival. a small group of citizen players join one world leader for up to 24 hours. all global citizens are eligible to apply, then shortlisted to their leaders country and submitted into a sortition[2] process ensuring an equal spread of race, gender, social status and political ideology.
they put aside their personal and political preferences in favour of collectively problem solving global catastrophic risks that threaten the existence of humanity. an expanded online audience can view their sessions via embedded media and can input their suggestions and strategies directly into a curated vr feed sent to all players. issues on the menu range from climate change, to terrorism, economic disparity, to rapid population growth. each vr experience transports players into a 3d environment to problem-solve. they are clothed in wearable vr ‘smart’ suits which constantly monitor their physical and mental welfare. players don their high-tech onesies and wireless glasses, enter each escape room door, and may find themselves on-board an overcrowded boat, inside a fully automated shipping warehouse, on the foreshore of a southeast asian sunken city, or at the foot of a mountain of gmo seeds.
each room posits a not-too-distant dilemma to solve based on the future trending forecasts from quantumrun[3] and demands a collective solution be reached democratically within a given time limit.
during the experience, world leaders get the opportunity to reconnect with their constituents as well as their own ethical compass. each citizen player is empowered to contribute ideas and solutions which could carve out a road map for a sustainable utopian future.
first world leader selected: oprah winfrey, the 46th president of the united states
first escape room session: nov 2028
[1] an escape-room is a physical co-operative adventure game in which players are pulled into scenarios akin to a movie or computer game. they unravel carefully plotted puzzles using clues, hints and strategy with a limited time-frame to find their way out of the space.
[2] sortition, was a form of ancient athenian democracy whereby public representatives would be chosen by lottery as a means to avoid the corrupt practices used by oligarchs to buy their way into power.
[3] quantumrun.com researches and reports on the latest revolutions happening today in technology, science, health, and culture, but through a futurist’s perspective.