Arts House brings gaming and street dance together in ‘GG – Conjah + PSEUDO’
What happens when the logic of a video game is brought into a street dance battle? GG – Conjah + PSEUDO explores that question through an immersive world of movement, competition and real-time motion capture, premiering at Arts House as part of Now or Never.
At the centre of GG are NPCs, or non-player characters – the figures in video games who respond to a player’s choices but never make choices of their own. The production takes these passive characters off the screen and places them in a live environment, asking what it means to have freedom without true agency.
Co-lead artist Sam Mcgilp said NPCs don’t have agency – they are passive and exist to serve the player’s experience.
“There is a connection to our contemporary experience here, where we can feel instrumental to other structures. We might have freedom and autonomy, but that does not equate to agency or power,” said Mcgilp.
The experience begins with the audience seated close to the performers, creating an intimate, contained world. Gradually, that world expands into an arena that sits somewhere between a dance floor and a video game.
Performers face off in a street dance battle while their movements are motion-captured in real time and transformed into large 3D avatars. As the competitive energy shifts toward collaboration, the boundaries of the space open further, leaving the audience to decide how they want to engage – whether by stepping into the action or remaining on the sidelines.
That invitation is rooted in the traditions of Melbourne’s street dance community. GG uses the real rules of the cypher, where entering the circle is a choice and watching from the edge is equally valid.
Even the title reflects the production’s gaming origins. “GG,” meaning “good game,” is commonly used by gamers at the end of a match, whether they have won or lost. It represents a gesture of respect between players at the moment the game ends.
From there, GG turns its attention toward the systems surrounding us. If games can be designed to take from players without giving them anything in return, what might happen if one were built around shared agency instead?
Arts House and Now or Never are programs delivered by the City of Melbourne. Arts House is a contemporary performance space where artists and audiences gather to find new creative frontiers. Now or Never is an award-winning festival of art, ideas, sound and technology.
GG – Conjah + PSEUDO will have its world premiere at Arts House 26–30 August 2026. Tickets are on sale now at artshouse.com.au.
Image courtesy Arts House