Circumventing the Circle of Death

The video »Circumventing the Circle of Death. A Pacifist Finger Excercise« documents the peaceful encounter of two enemy armies within a strategy game themed on World War II (»Sudden Strike 4«).

The game's algorithm usually forces the soldiers to attack each other as soon as they directly face each other or stop. However, the bloodshed can be avoided by having the players keep the soldiers and tanks in constant motion without them ever directly facing each other.

The performance of the artist group »Total Refusal - Digital Disarmament Movement« by Leonhard Müllner, Robin Klengel and Michael Stumpf therefore consisted of a »Pacifist Finger Exercise«: they let the tanks drive in circles without interruption. Constant circling is the only form of peaceful encounter between nations.