Michael Stumpf

An ethnographic exploration of the work and daily life of non-player characters, the digital extras in video games. Their labor loops, activity patterns as well as bugs and malfunctions paint a vivid analogy for work under capitalism.

It's an ordinary day in the game GTA V – but the car-crowded streets are marked by a grave absence. Protagonist Edgar searches for clues, revealing the beautiful yet nightmarish nature of his reality.