3 ms·

There's nothing special about a game compared to any other form of media, or any form of fictional storytelling which make them immune to having an influence. Y

There's nothing special about a game compared to any other form of media, or any form of fictional storytelling which make them immune to having an influence. You have to suspend disbelief in any novel, nevertheless no matter how outlandish the material it always communicates some ideas about the way the world works. I'm actually really looking forward to people giving up on the implicit idea that video games are just fancies or toys, because it's at that point that video games which set out to communicate interesting or unsettling ideas or perspectives will become mainstream.

andrewflnr 9y ago
Fair, but GP's argument transfers perfectly to non-interactive media. They may have good points, but you still have to be careful trying to apply their ideas to the real world.
bastawhiz 9y ago
Are you saying it's irresponsible, then, to publish a novel whose plot revolves around the success of perpetual growth (or success of a civilization embracing perpetual growth)? Influential or not, we shouldn't censor media that we find enjoyable because its real world counterpart is destructive.
- Brakenshire 9y ago
  > Are you saying it's irresponsible, then, to publish a novel whose plot revolves around the success of perpetual growth (or success of a civilization embracing perpetual growth)? Influential or not, we shouldn't censor media... Would you respond to a critical book review by saying "we should not censor media"? Criticism and censorship are two vastly different concepts, you should not conflate the two.
- smadge 9y ago
  Critizing a creative work is not censorship. Using the authority of the state to repress a creative work is censorship. I am free to, and in some sense ethically obligated to criticize the ideological implications of creative work.
  - humanrebar 9y ago
    You can use other kinds of authority and power to censor. "No platform" is a form of mob censorship. Though I agree that critical analysis and censorship are two different things.
    - bitumen 9y ago
      People have a right to free expression, they don’t have a right to have thst expression amplified by third parties. I’ve noticed that when an emotive word is overused, often with a new word in front of it, it’s bullshit. “Mob censorship” “white genocide” and so on for some glaring examples, might as well have the first words replaced by “Not really.” Co-opting words with strong emotional valence for the sake of an appeal to emotion is petty, and speaks to the weakness of the underlying argument.
      - humanrebar 9y ago
        Most dictionaries have a broader definition. Here's the ACLU: > Censorship, the suppression of words, images, or ideas that are "offensive," happens whenever some people succeed in imposing their personal political or moral values on others. Censorship can be carried out by the government as well as private pressure groups. https://www.aclu.org/other/what-censorship https://www.aclu.org/other/what-censorship

andrewflnr 9y ago

Fair, but GP's argument transfers perfectly to non-interactive media. They may have good points, but you still have to be careful trying to apply their ideas to the real world.

bastawhiz 9y ago

Are you saying it's irresponsible, then, to publish a novel whose plot revolves around the success of perpetual growth (or success of a civilization embracing perpetual growth)? Influential or not, we shouldn't censor media that we find enjoyable because its real world counterpart is destructive.

Brakenshire 9y ago
> Are you saying it's irresponsible, then, to publish a novel whose plot revolves around the success of perpetual growth (or success of a civilization embracing perpetual growth)? Influential or not, we shouldn't censor media... Would you respond to a critical book review by saying "we should not censor media"? Criticism and censorship are two vastly different concepts, you should not conflate the two.
smadge 9y ago
Critizing a creative work is not censorship. Using the authority of the state to repress a creative work is censorship. I am free to, and in some sense ethically obligated to criticize the ideological implications of creative work.
- humanrebar 9y ago
  You can use other kinds of authority and power to censor. "No platform" is a form of mob censorship. Though I agree that critical analysis and censorship are two different things.
  - bitumen 9y ago
    People have a right to free expression, they don’t have a right to have thst expression amplified by third parties. I’ve noticed that when an emotive word is overused, often with a new word in front of it, it’s bullshit. “Mob censorship” “white genocide” and so on for some glaring examples, might as well have the first words replaced by “Not really.” Co-opting words with strong emotional valence for the sake of an appeal to emotion is petty, and speaks to the weakness of the underlying argument.
    - humanrebar 9y ago
      Most dictionaries have a broader definition. Here's the ACLU: > Censorship, the suppression of words, images, or ideas that are "offensive," happens whenever some people succeed in imposing their personal political or moral values on others. Censorship can be carried out by the government as well as private pressure groups. https://www.aclu.org/other/what-censorship https://www.aclu.org/other/what-censorship