Clickolding: A Viral Art Game Exploring Libidinal Technology and Transactional Desire

Clickolding, an art game by Strange Scaffold, lasts 40 minutes and traps players in a motel room with a mysterious figure in a hood. This figure offers a payout of $14,000 for reaching 10,000 clicks on a counter. Directed by Xalavier Nelson Jr., the game was created in just two months after the 2023 Game Developers Conference. As players interact with the hooded character, they hear personal stories and references to artworks like Bernardo Strozzi's Tobias Curing His Father's Blindness (1630–35). The game critiques cuckolding and clicker games, drawing inspiration from titles like Cow Clicker (2010) and Universal Paperclips (2017), and explores themes of desire, loneliness, and depression. Strange Scaffold is also recognized for games like Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator and An Airport for Aliens Currently Run By Dogs, both released in 2021.