This picture was taken in September of 2016, in the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Technically, this would probably qualify as the very first edition/prototype of what I’ve now come to call Frenemies. It has grown much since this picture was taken, and what used to look like a grade school-level, arts and crafts project, has fully evolved to become more than anything I ever could have conceived in the beginning.
Frenemies is a system. Rather than a predefined objective or set of victory conditions, Frenemies prescribes a set of rules, provides an environment, and unleashes you to do as you will.
The rules remain a work in progress, that myself and my team constantly debate, review, revise, and have committed to optimizing. In a nutshell, Frenemies is intended to reflect a satirical interpretation of real world political and economic systems. I make this point specifically to address those who would suggest the system is unfair or imbalanced. Such criticism is correct. Frenemies was never designed to be “fair” or balanced. It was designed to emphasize the insane nature a system we are all currently subject to. While each and every player starts off on equal footing, no changes to the rules, no tweaking of mechanics, no special rules for special circumstances, can save you from your decisions. Every decision you make, holds the potential to make or break you.
As with so many things in life, the Frenemies learning curve is long and steep. But as with everything in life, a little study and regular practice can empower you to conquer that curve. No one is going to hold your hand. In life, this world will let you suffer. In Frenemies, your fellow players will take you for everything you’ve got, laughing as they do. In life, the challenge is pick yourself back up, and find the strength to get back on track. In Frenemies, the challenge is to laugh it off, and take nothing personal. Too many people in this world go through life getting played like puppets. It’s time to stop losing. It’s time to start pulling some strings of your own. Now is the time to step your game up!
There will be more to come. I have an ever increasing library of photographs and other content that is being generated as we continue to do our work. It is my intention to make daily posts about the ongoing evolution of this project, and I intend share those here. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Sincerely,
Joshua Abraham
