Total Refusal (Leonhard Müllner) – Přednáška ve hře

The Epic Everyday Schmoi and His Hoi Polloi
On Avatars and NPCs in Medieval Bohemia and Beyond

The poster boy of “too-late capitalism” (Anna Kornbluh) and the ideal neoliberal subject is the avatar. Within its host body, the player becomes a hypersubject—a “hyper-enabled operator.” As video games translate the hero’s journeys of European folklore into realms of playable spectacle, players are offered the chance to overcome the permanent, raging presence of our times and finally make a difference—both in their own lives and for everyone else.

Yet, in service of mass media logic, the demigod player character mostly loops a sense of hegemonic normalcy and banality, even while saving the world. Navigating the “Average Joe” avatar of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 through its map, Total Refusal reflects on the political implications of the NPC–player character relationship—and explores how to hijack the big dick energy of contemporary video game avatars in a humorous, radical, and playful way.