Video games, like all art and entertainment, are inherently political; they are created worlds that can’t help but express the values of their creators. Sometimes, those values are reflected in the demographics of the games: in how they represent, or fail to represent, women and minorities, or in the virtual foes they ask players to kill with their virtual guns. Other times, the systems and rules that govern games reflect and reinforce those that we experience on this side of the screen. The political nature of games is not something to fear, or to shy away from discussing. It is in part what makes them so fascinating. Strong criticism is neither an act of betrayal toward a work nor the first step toward censorship; it leads to illumination and improvement.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 05:23:02 +0000