Free Agency (2019), computer game


Hypermasculine archetypes are designed to impress upon men feelings of aspiration and envy. They too can bring about shifts in reality. The ability to exert power and impress one’s desires upon the world is an issue central to both hypermasculine mythologies and video game design. 

Like gender and archetypes, gamespaces are predefined. Game mechanics dictate an ideal way of existence and course of action, a path to success and progress within the gamespace. The player can only shift and rearrange actors within the space, and ultimately has no control over the parameters that govern the gamespace. The player’s gaming experience is directed by the implementation of seductive game mechanics. The player of a video game can only advance through the game by pushing against the limits of their agency.

Free Agency was my first forray into game design and 3D animation. The project was exhibited in the 2019 Pratt Sculpture BFA thesis show, where it recieved the Stuttzman Family Foundataion award. It was also presented at 77 Mullberry gallery (Chinatown, NYC) in a two person exhibition featuring myself and Jason Isolini.

below are some screenshots documenting different areas of the game





Installation photos taken by Joshua Citarella at Perma-Falling: