"[...] either they are taking a break themselves, breathing vigorously or simulating boredom by kicking dirt around. Are these the only moments, in their short-lived game lives, where they can really be themselves? Be in control? Go home and have an off-day?" What happens to a videogame character when they are not being controlled by the player is one of many questions I raised in my thesis 'Escaping Life - Simulated Realities and Autonomous Animation Behaviour in Video Games". My graduation work flirts with videogame genres, mechanics and visual styles in order to explore the in-between state of these characters.