Brent Watanabe, San Andreas Deer Cam, 2015–2016

Brent Watanabe’s San Andreas Deer Cam is a seminal project that challenges conventional notions of gaming, performance, and agency within virtual environments. By modifying GTA V, Watanabe created a self-playing, post-human experience that invites viewers to reflect on the complex relationships between humanity, animality, and artificiality.

Watanabe replaced the standard human avatar with a non-human animal avatar – a deer, whimsically called Edgar Allan Doe by online viewers and commenters – whose movements are controlled by a generative system written by the artist. As the deer traverses Los Santos’ urban and rural environments, interacting with other non-player characters controlled by the game’s artificial intelligence, the perspective and thus our perception of the game spaces change dramatically. This deliberate removal of human agency from the gameplay experience qualifies San Andreas Deer Cam as an example of post-human gaming where the game is either self-playing or the player’s avatar is replaced by a nonhuman mechanism. The project introduces a radical shift in autonomy to the game camera, liberating it from the player's control and granting it agency and independence from the traditional mastery of photographers and filmmakers. Through a system of rules that are part of the script that controls the deer and the following game camera, the work introduces instructions and aleatoric rules to govern the apparatus, in the tradition of generative art and instruction based art, as well as the Konkrete Fotografie (concrete photography) movement.

The choice of a deer is particularly poignant, as it serves as a stark contrast to the typical human-centric narratives and violent gameplay often associated with GTA V. The deer, a symbol of innocence and nature, navigates a world designed for human chaos and urban turmoil. This juxtaposition creates a unique visual experience that challenges viewers to rethink the dynamics of virtual worlds and their real-world implications.

San Andreas Deer Cam was streamed live on Twitch from March 20 to April 20, 2016, allowing thousands of viewers to witness the actions of the virtual deer in real-time. This display context is significant, as it highlights the potential for digital platforms to facilitate new forms of artistic expression and audience engagement, even in the absence of direct human control. Twitch, primarily known for live streaming video game playthroughs, becomes an art gallery where the audience collectively experiences the unplanned and often unpredictable journey of the deer. Streaming on Twitch also brings an element of communal viewing, where audience interactions via chat can influence the experience, albeit indirectly. Viewers can comment, speculate, and react in real-time, creating a dynamic layer of interaction that enhances the overall engagement with the artwork. This participatory aspect underscores the evolving nature of digital art, where the boundary between creator, subject, and audience becomes increasingly fluid.

The project garnered significant attention, with over 700,000 views on Twitch, and was featured in various media outlets, including Wired, New York Magazine and the BBC. Watanabe’s project taps into several theoretical frameworks within contemporary art and media studies. The concept of post-humanism, as explored by theorists like Rosi Braidotti and Donna Haraway, is central to understanding San Andreas Deer Cam. Post-humanism challenges anthropocentric perspectives, advocating for a decentering of the human in favour of a more inclusive understanding of agency and existence that encompasses non-human entities. San Andreas Deer Cam embodies this post-human perspective by removing human players from the equation and focusing on the autonomous actions of an animal within a virtual space. This shift prompts viewers to consider broader questions about the nature of agency, the role of artificial intelligence, and the ethical dimensions of digital environments.

Finally, the project’s use of a modified game environment aligns with the tradition of game art, where artists appropriate and repurpose video games to create new forms of artistic expression. Artists like Cory Arcangel and Brody Condon have similarly manipulated game mechanics and visuals to explore themes of culture, identity, and technology. Watanabe’s work contributes to this lineage by using the open-world structure of GTA V to create a meditative, open-ended narrative driven by the AI-controlled deer.

More by Brent Watanabe: bwatanabe.com