The four-part, two-channel installation Ernste Spiele immerses viewers into demonstrations of video gaming systems that were initially conceived in the military, who now fund its reappropriation for use not only in training, but also in treating veterans’ PTSD. The images initially wielded to impel participants towards violence are later called upon to repair the consequences of that same violence. Farocki invites viewers to observe these simulated realities that, whether weaponized or anesthetized, reorganize participants’ sensory orientations towards violent conflict. Farocki urges us to consider these images’ relationship to gaming-as-entertainment and the aesthetic economies that structure our perceptions of war. You can experience Ernste Spiele I-IV at the MIRL from 1:30pm to 6pm, where the 40min piece will be playing on a loop.