"Put upon, out of work and victims of decades-long systemic abuse, it's time, they have decided, to protest. The donkeys, metaphorically, are us. At least that's the premise of "asses.masses," a video game played by and for a live audience. It's theater for the post-Twitch age, performance art for those weaned on "The Legend of Zelda" or "Pokémon." Most important, it's entertainment as political dissent for these divisive times."
"In a city that's been ravaged by fires, ICE raids and a series of entertainment industry layoffs, the sold-out crowd of nearly 300 was riled up. Chants of "ass power!" - the donkey's protest slogan - were heard throughout the day as attendees politely gathered near a single video game controller on a dais to play the game, becoming not just the avatar for the donkeys but a momentary leader for the collective."
Asses.masses stages anthropomorphic donkeys as a metaphor for people affected by systemic abuse, unemployment and technological displacement. The work merges retro pixel-art aesthetics with interactive, audience-driven gameplay and long-form performance, often exceeding seven hours. Scenes portray unjust incarceration, mass layoffs and confrontations with authorities, evoking recent protest imagery. A sold-out UCLA Nimoy Theater showing drew nearly 300 attendees who rotated at a single controller, chanted the protest slogan and cheered moments of collective recognition. Characters voice doubts about systemic fairness and depict technological advances as threatening to livelihoods, prompting knowing applause.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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