Rindon Johnson’s Symbiosis Hypnosis is a video game grounded in the evolutionary biologist Lynn Margulis’ (1938-2011) symbiosis theories, representing her argument that inherited variation is the result of long-lasted intimacy of strangers.
Through Symbiosis Hypnosis, Rindon Johnson allows people to experience Lynn Margulis’ symbiosis theories about the evolution of life and the origin of modern cells. Margulis argued that inherited variation, which is significant in evolution, evolves primarily through the long-lasting intimacy of strangers. Her views challenge tenets of neo-Darwinism, which state that inherited variation comes from random mutations and natural selection. Margulis’ theory suggests that the fusion of genomes in symbioses followed by natural selection leads to increasingly complex levels of individuality.
Players start as a unicellular organism centrally floating in a wide monochromatic universe. The goal is to integrate with other passing organisms to the tune of Chopin’s Etudes Op 25: No. 4 in A Minor, as a clock counts down. Symbiosis Hypnosis is available to play online on Mythopoesis for Techno-Living Systems (MTLS).
Pariah Interactive Team
* Technical Direction: Prashast Thapan
* Development: Jonathan Martinez
* 3D Art: Stephanie Davila
* Production: Faith Zeng