Healing

How online and offline really play together:
In the spring of 2021, director and performance artist Simon Salem Müller approached the Studio for Infinite Possibilities with an extremely ambitious project: a fully networked real-life game world will be installed in a high bunker in Schweinfurt, which will also be the all-around monitored and interactively transmitting and receiving headquarters of a hybrid game universe. In this game universe, every performer and every participant plays a role. Depending on the role and the game decisions, a so-called life score changes, which is closely based on the functions of the social score systems used in China.

"A unique gaming experience. "
Stadtkultur Magazine Würzburg

"A concept that has never existed in this form before. "
Schweinfurt Citizen Magazine

Healing's game design and execution had to meet several high-stakes benchmarks: It had to meet glamorous standards for overall production design. It had to be executed with software that is open source and absolutely data secure. On the one hand, this was important so that the players can be sure that nothing they do in-game can be viewed offline. And on the other hand, so that the immanent critical examination of social scoring systems and Big Data does not become cheap.

In August 2021, the participants actually played live on site and online at the same time, connected via a complex monitoring system, interaction terminals and a 2D online game world.
Participants developed their own roles with the help of the team and a specially developed character configurator. The game was accompanied by extensive workshops, readings, panels and lectures. HEALING was played on all continents except Antarctica.
The press response and feedback from participants* was enthusiastic.

project site: https://www.healing.dos.fail/

Credits

Produktionsleitung / Produktionsdesign: Simon Salem Müller
Game Design / Konzept: Jonas Klinkenberg, Wanja Neite & Simon Salem Müller
Set Design: Jörn Herrmann
Kostümbild: Mary Becker
Technische Leitung, Lichtdesign, Hygienebeauftragter: Andreas Vollmer
Technik: Simon Salem Müller, Andreas Vollmer & Jörn Herrmann
Setbau: Jörn Herrmann & Thilo Kess
Performance & World Building: Amanda Babaei Vieira, Tessa Hoder, Kseniia Komoza, Wanja Neite, Christopher Ramm & Simon Salem Müller
Performance Online: Nina Dreßler, Alexander Jaensch, Cindy Mikosch & Gerrit Reininghaus
Support Online / Map: Birk Jecht
Special Guests: Tilman Gunz, Yelyzaveta Marmeladowa & Jan Liefhold
Performance Hash Angels: Laura Faiss, Jan Liefhold
Design Online-Spiel: Studio für unendliche Möglichkeiten (Gloria Schulz, Julian Kamphausen) & Jonas Klinkenberg
Technische Schnittstelle & Ausführung Community Plattform / Outlets / 2D Spielwelt: Studio für unendliche Möglichkeiten (Gloria Schulz & Julian Kamphausen) & Daniel Zirke
Backend & Hosting (Jitsi Meet & workadventure): Daniel Domscheit-Berg (havel:lab e.V. / Verstehbahnhof)
Tracking, RFID, Digitale Infrastruktur: Sebastian Arnd
Map & Technische Betreuung: Birk Jecht
Experience Design: Larson Kasper, Jonas Klinkenberg, Wanja Neite & Simon Salem Müller
Workshop: Larson Kasper & Wanja Neite
Schnittstellen Design, Koordination - UX Design: Markus Schmon
Presse-, & Öffentlichkeitsarbeit: Maren Duda, Wanja Neite & Jonas Klinkenberg
Abrechnung & Verwaltung: Jonas Klinkenberg
Begleitprogramm: Wanja Neite, Larson Kasper mit Kulturpackt für Schweinfurt e.V.
Eine Kooperation mit Kulturpackt für Schweinfurt e.V.: u.a. Ingo Schäfer, Jimij Günther, Tanja Scheller, Thilo Kess
Besonderer Dank an: DragonFlyOrga, Chris Heißler, Martina Ryssel, Lasse Munk (spektrogram.dk), Evgenii Muzychenko (VAC), Lorenz Vetter, Birger Wilm, Kunsthalle Schweinfurt, Stadtwerke Schweinfurt, Kaltenhof gGmbH, Disharmonie Schweinfurt, Buchhandlung CoLibri eG, Menz EDV GmbH, Marisa Mrachacz, Trabrennbahn Mariendorf, Christof Kraus, Performing Arts Programm Berlin