War is not a game, explains the narrator of HOW TO DISAPPEAR by artist collective Total Refusal right at the beginning of the 20-minute film. In it, the filmmakers devote themselves to the possibilities of evading acts of war with a radically pacifist attitude. Finally, the practice of deserting is still widely associated with cowardice, treason, or other negative attributes.
Total Refusal see themselves as critics of common narratives in video games and also consider these games in relation to their effects on real life. Games' narratives reflect reactionary societal patterns and further manifest and propagate them. This makes them worthy of discussion and, on closer inspection, allows conclusions to be drawn about the real life conditions. An exciting reflection on the game BATTLEFIELD, in which desertion is not supported, reminds us that in reality, too, the heroic courage of those who kill and die for a cause is celebrated rather than the heroic courage of those who refuse join in the killing and dying.
