asses.masses

created by Patrick Blenkarn & Milton Lim

asses.masses is a custom video game designed to be played from beginning to end by a live audience, one person at a time. It’s the 7.5+ hour epic story of a herd of unemployed donkeys trying to get their jobs back, all while navigating the perils of a post-Industrial society in which they’ve been made redundant.

Cheeky, political, and best described as Animal Farm meets Pokémon meets Final Fantasy,asses.masses puts the control(ler) in its audience’s hands and asks them to discover the space between the work that defines us and the play that frees us.

The experience feels like a blend of super awesome game night at your friend’s house (with a hundred friends) and unforgettable movie marathon—expect a healthy dose of political uprising, delicious food served at intermissions, and lots of donkeys.

asses.masses website

Creative Team

ICO-DIRECTION, TEXT, PROGRAMMING, PIXEL ART, 2D ANIMATION Patrick Blenkarn (Canada)

CO-DIRECTION, TEXT, SOUND DESIGN, VIDEO, SHADERS, 3D VISUAL EFFECTS Milton Lim (Canada)

DRAMATURGY, TEXT, TOURING PRODUCER Laurel Green (Canada)

ORIGINAL MUSIC, SOUND DESIGN David Mesiha (Canada)

PIXEL ART, 2D ANIMATION Clarissa Picolo (Brazil)

PIXEL ART, 2D ANIMATION William Roth (France)

3D ENVIRONMENTS Ariadne Sage (Germany)

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING Samuel Reinhart (USA)

SPANISH TRANSLATION Marcos Krivocapich (Argentina)

FRENCH TRANSLATION Gilles Poulin-Denis (Canada)

ITALIAN TRANSLATION Julius De Michelis (Italy)

GERMAN TRANSLATION Birgit Schreyer Duarte (Canada/Germany)

PORTUGUESE TRANSLATION Clarissa Picolo (Brazil)

TURKISH TRANSLATION Emre Yıldızlar (Türkiye)

FLEMISH TRANSLATION Tom Vanderheyden (Canada/Belgium)

CATALAN TRANSLATION Marc Villanueva Mir (Catalonia)

JAPANESE TRANSLATION 山田カイル Kyle Yamada (Japan)

KOREAN TRANSLATION Park Hyung Joon (South Korea)

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION Stéphane Noël / Materialise (Hong Kong)

SHOW OPERATORS Patrick Blenkarn, Milton Lim, Laurel Green, David Mesiha

"For anyone looking to walk into a theatre and experience that art can still be a site of genuine, messy, democratic protest, this show is essential. It’s a riot that proves the best way to build a new world is to play."

ArtsHub Australia
"Thanks to Green's sterling work...these donkeys become more endearing and fully-formed the more we know about them and their world. ."

Broadway World UK
"By the end of the game, what began as a light-hearted experience becomes a serious reflection on group dynamics, the consequences of collaboration, and the struggle for individual agency within a larger system.”

Travel and Tour World