An eye-opening conversation, particularly since I've worked on multiple Halo games and have been an EA employee, so it all hits closer to home. The use of a popular game for propaganda to dehumanize and desensitize is alarming in itself, the fear of retribution from speaking out about it shows that we have already crossed a concerning threshold.
George Osborn's insights into the EA/Saudi deal and his point about cultural influence reminded me of the fascinating podcast - Wind of Change: Did the CIA write a power ballad that ended the Cold War? https://crooked.com/podcast-series/wind-of-change/
Video games have been used as a tool for political manipulation from the left for so many years now, like for example just recently Kamala Harris had a level dedicated to her campaign on Fortnite. So it would be nice if the game business also said the same about that. Either comment about this from both (or all) sides perspective or don't comment at all. I personally don't really care all that much but I do find it funny since the previous Trump Administration (and tbf a lot of administrations in general both democratic & republican) criticized video games for causing violence.
A few things here. This isn't a left or right issue, really. The right is using it a lot more effectively at the moment, but the problem would exist no matter the political perspective.
Your example interests me. Lots of things use Fortnite as a social promotional tool, as it's a UGC platform in the way TikTok and social media is. I think there's a difference between utilising a platform like that, which enables such activity, and taking someone else's art to deliver a political message. Whether it's an anti-immigration message, or a pro-trans message, unless that's coming from the artist itself, that's being co-opted in a way that's not intended. There's now a loss of control that has very meaningful social, as well as commercial, impact.
Yeah I think that's fair and I agree. I guess this would depend from studio to studio. Some devs will definitely don't want anything to do with this type of stuff, while others may lean in hoping to increase their sales from their targeted audience.
An eye-opening conversation, particularly since I've worked on multiple Halo games and have been an EA employee, so it all hits closer to home. The use of a popular game for propaganda to dehumanize and desensitize is alarming in itself, the fear of retribution from speaking out about it shows that we have already crossed a concerning threshold.
George Osborn's insights into the EA/Saudi deal and his point about cultural influence reminded me of the fascinating podcast - Wind of Change: Did the CIA write a power ballad that ended the Cold War? https://crooked.com/podcast-series/wind-of-change/
Video games have been used as a tool for political manipulation from the left for so many years now, like for example just recently Kamala Harris had a level dedicated to her campaign on Fortnite. So it would be nice if the game business also said the same about that. Either comment about this from both (or all) sides perspective or don't comment at all. I personally don't really care all that much but I do find it funny since the previous Trump Administration (and tbf a lot of administrations in general both democratic & republican) criticized video games for causing violence.
A few things here. This isn't a left or right issue, really. The right is using it a lot more effectively at the moment, but the problem would exist no matter the political perspective.
Your example interests me. Lots of things use Fortnite as a social promotional tool, as it's a UGC platform in the way TikTok and social media is. I think there's a difference between utilising a platform like that, which enables such activity, and taking someone else's art to deliver a political message. Whether it's an anti-immigration message, or a pro-trans message, unless that's coming from the artist itself, that's being co-opted in a way that's not intended. There's now a loss of control that has very meaningful social, as well as commercial, impact.
I think, anyway.
Yeah I think that's fair and I agree. I guess this would depend from studio to studio. Some devs will definitely don't want anything to do with this type of stuff, while others may lean in hoping to increase their sales from their targeted audience.