Have you noticed how pain, risk, and even death have always had an audience? Since ancient times, humanity has turned suffering into spectacle. Roman gladiators, medieval duels, public executions, reality shows… and now, TikTok and Instagram.
The film Gamer (2009) pushed this logic to the extreme: real people controlled like avatars by remote players, losing autonomy before a global audience. It looks like science fiction — but is it really that far from our reality?
From the Arena to the Feed
History repeats itself in different arenas:
- In Ancient Egypt, reliefs show combat staged before viewers.
- In Mesoamerica, the Maya ballgame sometimes ended with the losers being sacrificed.
- In early modern times, executions became public events that crowds would gather to watch.
Today, the stage is digital. The weapons are smartphones and algorithms.
The Challenges That Scare Us
Remember the Blue Whale Challenge, where young people were led step by step into self-harm and even suicide? Or the Skull Breaker Challenge, where teenagers were deliberately tripped mid-jump, ending up in hospital?
Other examples, like the Fire Challenge (setting one’s body on fire) or the Bird Box Challenge (doing daily tasks blindfolded, inspired by the Netflix film), show that the spectacularisation of risk is alive and well. Only now it fits into short videos and can go viral within seconds.
When the Audience Decides
Live streaming makes this even clearer: audiences can decide what happens in real time. Twitch Plays Pokémon showed millions of users typing commands to control a single character. Funny? Yes. But also unsettling — it reveals the collective power to influence behavior at a distance.
From Fiction to Reality
Gamer imagined a dystopian future. But in a way, we’re already living smaller versions of that dystopia. Platforms reward us with points, streaks, and likes. Apps gamify everything from learning languages to shopping. Young people take risks for visibility while spectators cheer, share, and ask for “one more time.”
What’s Next?
The question is no longer if we will reach the Gamer era, but when. With companies like Neuralink testing brain implants, the line between body and technology is fading.
What once looked like science fiction may soon be everyday reality. And maybe the bigger question is: are we ready for a world where living, playing, and obeying become the same thing?
Download or Read more here:
BATISTA, D. J. (2025). Lethal Likes: The Spectacularisation of Digital Challenges as an Embryonic Version of Gamer’s Dystopia. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16907257