The Endless Forest, created by Auriea Harvey and Michaël Samyn, is a unique video game that challenges traditional gaming conventions. In this game, players control deer characters and can only communicate through body language. There are no objectives or challenges to overcome, and communication is limited to non-verbal gestures. The game encourages players to question how we can create a digital society that promotes kindness.
The Endless Forest is part of an exhibition called Group Hug, organized by Onassis ONX and held at Water Street Associates in Manhattan’s Financial District. The exhibition explores the theme of digital society through experimental multiplayer games.
Typically, when video games are displayed in art galleries, they fall into two categories: commercial games appreciated for their aesthetic value or “gallery games” created specifically for artistic purposes. Group Hug features unique set designs for each game on display. For example, The Endless Forest is surrounded by houseplants and soft lighting to create a serene atmosphere.
Another game in the exhibition is Theo Triantafyllidis’s Feral Metaverse. Players control monstrous figures with animal-like behavior in a scorched desert wasteland reminiscent of Mad Max. The objective of the game is to work together with other players to operate a giant catapult and escape from the feral landscape.
Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s game, The Lack: I Knew Your Voice Before You Spoke, stands out as the most unusual and captivating piece in the exhibition. It combines glitchy monster hunting gameplay with cryptic dialogues about sexuality and gender. Instead of using traditional controllers, players interact with huge buttons on the floor while reading sentences from the game aloud into microphones.
These artists represent a new generation that grew up playing video games but now use their skills to create works suited for art galleries rather than home consoles. While these experimental games may not offer the same level of entertainment as mainstream titles like Call of Duty, they provide thought-provoking experiences that challenge traditional notions of gaming as purely entertainment.
The intersection between games and art remains undefined but exciting as artists continue to experiment with form and presentation within this medium. By pushing boundaries and exploring new possibilities for playability in video games, these artists are establishing gaming as an art form in its own right.
In conclusion (not included), after spending time alone in The Endless Forest, I encountered other deer controlled by different players around the world who joined me in dancing—a moment that felt like art itself.
