Selfcontrolfreak: a series of short interactive videos
Jeroen van Geel
on
December 16th, 2008 
What would happen if we could control real-life with a mouse cursor? This thought must have triggered artist Olivier Otten, when he created Selfcontrolfreak. On his website there are several movies in which he is the actor… but he doesn’t play the main role, because that role is preserved for you. In every movie you can influence his actions by interacting with him in a different way.
I was suprised at how easily it could entertain me. Normally I’ll stay just 1-2 minutes on a website I like, but this time I played around with every movie. The thing that makes these movies good, is that it isn’t exactly clear what you can and can’t do. Within seconds you find out that the movies are interactive, but where this interactivity starts and ends is a surprise every time. Really simple, but effective.
The rawness of the movies also appeals to me. It really feels like an experiment, and not like a finished product. This makes it likeable.
