Violent Interfaces: The Jack Bauer Training Kit

In this paper we present The Jack Bauer Training Kit (JBTK), a new physical interface and video game add-on for viewing episodes of the Fox television series "24." Jack Bauer, a fictional character in this series, is notable for using torture as a method for extracting information from "bad guys." Using JBTK, players watch the show until a torture scene starts and can choose to advance the narrative by pouring water onto the hooded face of a physical 10 inch doll bound to a small table by leather restraints. Pouring just the right amount of water gets you a high score, too much and you might kill the "bad guy." Rather than using an abstract game controller as most video game consoles do, where the functionality is physically and conceptually detached from the stylized actions on the screen, the JBTK mimics the torture applied in the real world by physically instantiating its representations, violence and consequences.