It was just a virtual kiss

Po Yuan Juan’s It was just a virtual kiss is a game video essay that reimagines a love story unfolding within the world of World of Warcraft. The narrative transforms the virtual realm into a canvas for exploring how players construct and extend their identities, using digital avatars as vessels for intimacy. By venturing beyond the screen, the characters evoke the illusion of tangible connection — touching, embracing, and even kissing— across diverse fantasy incarnations. Employing a blend of machinima and computer-realistic animation, the work challenges traditional perceptions of the body, proposing a new, digitally constructed form of existence. The game world becomes a meeting ground for digital haptic perception and actual bodily movement, effectively blurring the line between the virtual and the real. This immersive exploration prompts several provocative questions: Could alternative forms of embodiment exist beyond our physical limitations? To what extent does media technology overcome the constraints of the human body? Might these digital embodiments inspire a new kind of spirit or emotional connection?