Talk

Talk is an experimental arcade-like installation about social anxiety disorder.

The player embodies a character who must overcome their fear of talking to the people around them. But it can’t be done because the button meant to talk is broken. The player is therefore stuck in a loop in which it is impossible to perform the action necessary to fulfill the game objective.

Talk takes the opposite view from alternative controllers which are mediums always looking to invent new ways to play. The installation transcribe the fear of performing an action by making it visually obvious and urgent but impossible to carry out thus inducing a significant “non-playing” situation. The talking action is programmed in the game but is impossible to execute because the barrier of the broken button prevents the player from doing so.

Talk was produced as part of Creation en Cours residency at the Ateliers Médicis in 2021.