Summons to Surrender--Keyboard Castle

Summons to Surrender—Keyboard Castle, E-machine, Internet, EverQuest, Solenoids, Plexiglas and silk, 2000. (© Eddo Stern) A cyberpunk-inspired reality check, the Summons to Surrender project introduces science fiction allusions into the persistent setting of nostalgic medieval fantasies. Key features of the Summons to Surrender web site include the following: (1) live video surveillance of the networked multi-player role-playing games Ultima Online, EverQuest, and Asheron's Call; (2) computer-controlled sentinels (software bots) that exploit untapped narrative possibilities within these game arenas; (3) archived video footage of historical in-game moments from 1999 and 2000; (4) Detailed backstory and other essays; (5) Fan site links page; (6) bibliography of related medieval texts. Top left: Screen shot of the Summons to Surrender web site's live feed of a computer-controlled sentinel in a networked role-playing game. Top right: Installation view of the Keyboard Castle. Bottom left: Detail of the Keyboard Castle. Bottom right: Screen shot of an Eddo avatar in a networked role-playing game.

Eddo Stern, 1348 McDuff Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026, U.S.A. E-mail: <eddostern@hotmail.com>. Web: <http://www.summonstosurrender.com>.