The Pyramid Ledges are a popular skate-spot in New York city. With rough brick-laden surfaces and stepped architecture propelling skaters into open traffic, they make for a fun friction-filled experience. “In search of productive friction”, imagines the internal monologue of the Pyramid Ledges’ playable and slightly smoother, digital double and how it finds joyous friction in new ways through its recurring encounters with a peculiar visitor. The machinima video essay, shot in SkaterXL using KoanNYC’s Pyramid Ledges map, presents playful exploration as a form of urban maintenance and care.