FPS

ARTICLE: FILIP KOSTIC’S FRAME RATE THEORY

VRAL is currently showcasing Filip Kostic’s 2019 game video Filip Kostic VS. Filip Kostic in a brand new format. Today, we present his 2020 follow up, Running at Frame Rate, which explores the tangible ramifications of computational prowess and the relentless pursuit of photorealism made possible by game-based tools like the Unreal Engine.

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Running at Frame Rate examines the fraught relationship between computer graphics, visual perception, and notions of photorealism. At its core, this digital installation explores frame rate, i.e., the frequency at which consecutive images are displayed, as a dynamic variable that impacts both the computer’s performance and the viewer’s phenomenological experience.

The “main character” is the computer itself, continuously optimizing its graphics rendering while pushing against its own limitations. Kostic personifies the machine, framing its real-time computations as a form of exertion, endurance, and even drama. The computer monitors its own stress levels, sometimes strategizing to work more efficiently or resetting itself when overworked [additional details about the nature of this dynamic performance are provided below].

The main goal of Running at Frame Rate is scrutinizing the literal and figurative “economics of realism” in CGI. Pushing frame rates ever higher makes tremendous resource demands: faster processors, more memory, more powerful GPUs, etc. Kostic implies there are hidden financial, social and environmental trade-offs involved. The piece renders visible these opaque costs by illustrating the computer’s escalating strain and struggle. When rendering crosses a complexity threshold, the machine visibly falters, failing to maintain smooth, glitch-free output.

Kostic suggests that blindly pursuing maximum specs and graphics fidelity has become an expensive, wasteful, and ultimately nihilistic arms race - an endless progression of incremental upgrades that lose meaning, purpose and value (think about the notion of marginal utilityin economics). As a game designer and artist, he offers a critique from within the industry…

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Matteo Bittanti



Works cited

Filip Kostic

Running at Frame Rate, software, installation, 2020, Serbia

Hereby presented as a “documentation of play through high end pc”, 16’ 50”

As of today, Running at Frame Rate is not available as a downloadable and playable game, but there are plans to make it accessible in the future. The artwork was originally presented at Ars Electronica in 2020 as part of art+science lab, the Belgrade Gardens.

All images and videos courtesy fo the artist and Ars Electronica

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ARTICLE: LIMITED VIEWS. ON HUGO ARCIER’S FPS

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Currently on display at VRAL is Ghost City, Hugo Arcier’s groundbreaking 2016 video installation, which, until now, has never been exhibited online. After discussing 11 Executions and the Limbus series, we conclude our examination of Arcier’s game-based works with FPS (2016). 

Alongside 11 Executions, FPS is one of Hugo Arcier’s most thought-provoking game-based installations. This interactive piece – which debuted in 2016 in the context of the Fantômes numériques exhibition at Plateforme Paris – is accompanied by a soundtrack by Stéphane Rives and Frédéric Nogray, also known as The Imaginary Soundscapes.

As most readers will likely know, FPS is the acronym of First-Person Shooter, a genre of video games that emerged in the United States at the beginning of the 1990s. Early examples include Wolfenstein 3D (1991) and Doom (1993) both developed by id Software, a company from Mesquite, Texas. For those who are unfamiliar with FPSs, suffice to say that these games are presented from the visual perspective of the avatar: the player views the game world as if through their character’s eyes. The primary gameplay element involves shooting and combat from this first-person perspective. Players must aim and shoot enemies and opponents using a variety of guns and weapons, which occupy the center of the screen. The pace and gameplay is fast, intense, and action-packed. FPS games tend to have a strong focus on reflexes and hand-eye coordination. The competitive element is a major component in most FPS games, which are known for immersive visual and audio experiences that make the player feel part of the world and action. Common elements include detailed graphics, surround sound, and realistic physics. In short, the FPS is a quintessentially USA-centric video game genre: the fact that a society that venerates weapons created an entire genre of techno-violence celebrating gun culture as a playful pastime makes perfect sense.

It should come as no surprise, then, that the FPS is also one of the most criticized genres of video games. They have been accused of promoting real life violence and aggression, usually by opportunistic, bi-partisan politicians funded by the weapon-industry, represented by the National Rifle Association. For instance, it is ironic that both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump suggest the existence of a strong link between simulated violence and real life violence against all scientific evidence. Nonetheless, it is indisputable that the core mechanics of most FPS games involve shooting and killing, often in graphic ways. This has led to concerns that they are making violence seem mundane and potentially desensitizing players, perhaps an even more pernicious side effect than instigating aggression. Moreover, FPS games tend to prioritize action and combat over storytelling and character development. This had led some to criticize them as glorifying violence for its own sake. In terms of representation, many FPS games have been accused of promoting problematic stereotypes by depicting enemies from specific real-world groups, regions, or ethnicities. This kind of problematic representation also extends to women: female characters have often been underrepresented or depicted in sexualized ways in FPS games. The FPS has been accused of feeding hyper-masculine power fantasies. Moreover, some argue that the emphasis on the subjective view of the FPS is not purely visual, but ideological. For this reason, FPS games have been accused of promoting a limited perspective centered around the player character, rather than allowing for a diverse range of points of view. Additionally, the fast pace and visceral nature of FPS gameplay allows little time for empathy, reflection or consideration of consequences of violence. Their addictive qualities have also come under attack: FPS games are designed to keep players engaged, which has led to warnings about these games promoting addictive tendencies, especially in children. Finally, competitive online multiplayer FPS games are often plagued by aggressive behavior, bullying, and discrimination in chat/voice communications between players. The term “toxic” is usually cited in these debates. For these – and other – reasons, the FPS genre is considered…

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Matteo Bittanti

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EVENT: VRAL #21_MATEUS DOMINGOS (APRIL 26-APRIL 29 2021)

LAN PARTY NOTES

digital video (1280 x 720), sound, color, 10’ 20”, 2013 (United Kingdom)

Created by Mateus Domingos

Introduced by Riccardo Retez

LAN Party was an installation originally created by Vanilla Galleries in collaboration with Arc-Vel and Dexter and Finbar Prior, at the Two Queens art gallery in Leicester, United Kingdom, in 2013. The work focuses on the concept of respawn which, in the context of video games, indicates the live creation of a character or item after its death or disappearance. Respawning creates and endless loop of (simulated) life and death. Vanilla Galleries’ work contextualizes such concept in a cultural re-generation perspective, where death and rebirth are visualized through a specific interface, the first-person shooter LAN party. A specially designed custom map has been created by the collective as a place for them to exist and work over a period of time. The installation comprises a number of computers inhabiting the main gallery space at Two Queens and visitors are invited to participate in the contest of the Cultural Deathmatch in order to perpetuate the ongoing cycle of life and death within the setting of the local area network.

Also known as ghostglyph, Mateus Domingos is an artist/writer based in Leicester, United Kingdom. He was a founding member and co-director of Leicester’s artist run gallery and studio space Two Queens. He is a member of Phoenix Interact Labs and manages the publishing project Bruise. He is interested in text, narrative and new digital spaces. His work has included games, 3D printing, fictional alphabets, maps and film making. In 2012 he represented the United Kingdom in Maribor, the European Capital of Culture and World Event Young Artist. Recent exhibitions include Two Queens, Leicester, Phoenix & De Montfort University, Leicester and Modern Painters, New Decorators, Loughborough. In parallel with his artistic practice, he is a producer for the digital arts program at Phoenix, Leicester. He works on artist development opportunities and hosts a series of meetups exploring digital arts practices. He collaborates with Sweden-based Nathan Bissette under the moniker Dead Hand to produce sound, music, and broadcasts. Recently they have released a book of scores and started producing an experimental podcast. He holds a BA in Fine Art from Loughborough University. He lives and works in Leicester.

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