Play: A Film About The Blurring Distinctions Between The Physical And Virtual

Play is a conceptual movie by David Kaplan and Eric Zimmerman which imagines a future where the lines between games and reality have blurred. The film was shot in New York City in less than a week with a small crew.

The creators explain:

Play imagines a not-too-distant future where video games have become indistinguishable from reality. These fully immersive games are nested inside each other like Russian dolls — each new game emerging from another and connecting backwards with increasing complexity. One moment, a player is a Japanese schoolgirl embroiled in a pillow fight with her girlfriends — and the next moment, the player has suddenly morphed into a scandalized state senator defending himself against a throng of angry reporters.

Play has the structure of a puzzle, and is not meant to resolve into a single explanation or interpretation.  Rather, the film is a meditation on our present day of hyperconnectivity and information overload, using videogames as the metaphor for the very human search for meaning and identity.

Watch the movie below:

FutureStates: PlayBy David Kaplan and Eric Zimmerman