SITUATION #37

Another Day of Depression in Kowloon is a cinematic portrait of Hong Kong, as represented in the game world of Call of Duty: Black Ops. Appropriating the video game environment, Ip Yuk Yiu removes all gameplay, exposing the bare settings of the simulated district of Kowloon. Developed through a yearlong ethnographic field research within the game world, Another Day of Depression in Kowloon reveals the politics of visual representation embedded in simulating the city. Backgrounds and scenery that are usually the decorative stage for the act of play are here turned into the main subject of our scrutiny, revealing the cultural lens behind the production of video games. Devoid of the usual game combat mechanics of the Call of Duty series, we are left with images of empty apartments, caged monkeys, leaking pipes and abandoned bicycles under constant stormy weather.

More by Ip Yuk Yiu: ipyukyiu.com