When I first tried to explore Matthew Kirkpatrick’s “A Moment Ago,” I thought the website wasn’t working because of the delayed loading process. However, once I’d reopened the browser, there was the work! I think my initial impatience with the application is indicative of our expectations of games in the digital age; we expect things to be available immediately and often become frustrated when things take longer than a few moments. Once I’d given “A Moment Ago” time to collect itself, I found it very intuitive in terms of interactivity. Unlike games such as “Shade” or “The Baron,” the user does not have to guess at what is required of them and can therefore participate to their own satisfaction, instead of trying to ‘win’ or complete the game. On a metaphorical level, I also think the work functions as a demonstration of how the news today can be overwhelming to the point of incomprehension. Just as Kirkpatrick’s work jumbles snippets of content to form a conglomerate of ‘news,’ sometimes mainstream news reflects a world that could be considered unrecognizable.
I also appreciated the opportunity to hear from Matthew Kirkpatrick in person. Sometimes the digital universe promotes anonymity in a way that de-personalizes the narrative experience. Hearing about his inspiration and construction process behind “A Moment Ago” somehow made the game seem less transient and fleeting; the game felt more significant when I knew a real person had considered topics such as the regenerative nature of news and its role in the digital age.
Staying with the theme of face-less-ness in our digital world and wanting quick results, I am reminded of the recent technological troubles at the Iowa Caucus for the 2020 Democratic candidate. It is my understanding that this year, the DNC tried to use an app to report caucus results. However, technical difficulties caused discrepancies in the reporting. Caucusing is often characterized by its inherently physical nature–goers often must stand for hours in support of their candidate. Even with the app, caucus goers still had to show up for their candidate but I remain curious about the intersection between an event grounded in physical participation and the complications of the event’s technological use. Was this experience influenced by the introduction of (defective) technology? Do we see this clash of the physical and digital as something that is inevitable or something to be worked through and improved upon? In a recent reload of “A Moment Ago,” mention of the Iowa caucus appears; the digital and material worlds continue to collide.