Very interesting as always. I don't think violent content inspires real-world violence. However, I do think that glorifying contemporary violent narratives creates a skewed sense of empathy and perspective.
Specifically, I wonder about the modern COD games and their pandering to 'tacti-cool' culture and jingoism.
I agree - there's a subtle nuance between violent content that inspires real-world violence and the same content creating an environment where that violence feels ok. The latter feels a lot scarier (well, both do I guess).
But to your point, I wonder if the more realistic military sims are creating a culture and environment that makes violence OK.
I wonder that too. I generally defend violent games. But I do wonder when, seeing stories of a school shooter wearing body armour and brandishing powerful firearms, how much of their convictions are formed by a culture that normalises those things? Not just games - there are other factors too - but are games (specifically contemporary military-themed ones) entirely blameless?
But this is a nuanced view. For example, I am a die-hard GTA fan and I don't believe GTA creates crime. That to me is a reactionary view. So, it's a delicate philosophical idea I'm proposing here.
I wonder if there’s an element of realism in desensitisation here. GTA has always erred on the side of cartoonish violence, whereas COD can be used to showcase the latest military tech and weapons. Would be interesting to compare say Fortnite and COD to that end.
Great article as always! A good read for someone who can find rage in Two Point Hospital when it gets stressful enough 😅🙈
That's a good point. Realism, or at least relatability with the real world, could be a big factor. This aligns well with my theory that the glorification in modern-era COD aligns with cultural trends in the real world, like the 'tacticool' fashion trend and other pop culture fascinations with military hardware. Perhaps it's the combination of these cultural norms that, in some cases, could encourage something more desensitized and violent.
@AMYJ567915 and @indiegames it's a good observation!
I do agree that realism in games probably contributes to creating a culture, it isn't the only thing responsible for violence. I say that because the hot sauce test results I shared in the article were done with people who played Plants vs. Zombies as the "violent" game.
Even after playing Plants vs. Zombies, people were spicier than in other conditions, so there's something intrinsic about violence that has an effect. The realism maybe acts as a modifier or multiplier?
Very interesting as always. I don't think violent content inspires real-world violence. However, I do think that glorifying contemporary violent narratives creates a skewed sense of empathy and perspective.
Specifically, I wonder about the modern COD games and their pandering to 'tacti-cool' culture and jingoism.
I agree - there's a subtle nuance between violent content that inspires real-world violence and the same content creating an environment where that violence feels ok. The latter feels a lot scarier (well, both do I guess).
But to your point, I wonder if the more realistic military sims are creating a culture and environment that makes violence OK.
I wonder that too. I generally defend violent games. But I do wonder when, seeing stories of a school shooter wearing body armour and brandishing powerful firearms, how much of their convictions are formed by a culture that normalises those things? Not just games - there are other factors too - but are games (specifically contemporary military-themed ones) entirely blameless?
But this is a nuanced view. For example, I am a die-hard GTA fan and I don't believe GTA creates crime. That to me is a reactionary view. So, it's a delicate philosophical idea I'm proposing here.
I wonder if there’s an element of realism in desensitisation here. GTA has always erred on the side of cartoonish violence, whereas COD can be used to showcase the latest military tech and weapons. Would be interesting to compare say Fortnite and COD to that end.
Great article as always! A good read for someone who can find rage in Two Point Hospital when it gets stressful enough 😅🙈
That's a good point. Realism, or at least relatability with the real world, could be a big factor. This aligns well with my theory that the glorification in modern-era COD aligns with cultural trends in the real world, like the 'tacticool' fashion trend and other pop culture fascinations with military hardware. Perhaps it's the combination of these cultural norms that, in some cases, could encourage something more desensitized and violent.
@AMYJ567915 and @indiegames it's a good observation!
I do agree that realism in games probably contributes to creating a culture, it isn't the only thing responsible for violence. I say that because the hot sauce test results I shared in the article were done with people who played Plants vs. Zombies as the "violent" game.
Even after playing Plants vs. Zombies, people were spicier than in other conditions, so there's something intrinsic about violence that has an effect. The realism maybe acts as a modifier or multiplier?