Duel (Revisited): A Networked Implementation of Xenakis's Game Piece

In this article, Xenakis's game of musical strategy Duel is examined and re-implemented as a computer-aided system for networked music performances. Motivated by an analysis revealing inconsistencies between game-theoretical formalisms and their translation to a game piece under Xenakis's interpretation, this work draws from the conflict between rational (assumed by game theory) and natural (driven by aesthetic preferences) behaviours. The revisited Duel highlights said conflict by design, because it comprises two principal modules: one simulating the conductors' decision-making, the other modelling the corresponding sonic events, originally performed by orchestras. Although the latter can be automatically rendered using predefined algorithmic processes, these are meant to be edited, mediated, or even entirely replaced in real time by live coders. This article provides a detailed description of the main author's system, describes the specifics of its premiere, and offers a reflection around the aesthetics of musical systems based on game theory, caught in the struggle between rational policies (to maximise rewards) and pleasing (but mathematically suboptimal) musical results.