Over the years, gaming has become an increasingly political industry. Current-gen titles like Mafia 3 and Red Dead Redemption 2, as well last-gen titles like BioShock and Mirror’s Edge, have poked at various political themes and subjects. Moreover, with improving technology that allows for more engaging stories, video games will naturally become more political.
It is necessary to accept that reality.
Times, They Are A-Changing
The fact of the matter is that we live in turbulent times.
With numerous movements growing in passion and an international community rife with conflict, there’s little arguing that our world is one of unpredictability and worry. For instance, the tension between the U.S. and Iran made apparent weeks ago was highlighted in the gaming community by Modern Warfare and Destiny 2 servers being blocked in Iran. It could have been sheer coincidence, but this is likely not the case given the decision made beforehand by the U.S. to kill one of Iran’s top officials.
Given the rapid occupancy of politics in our lives, it would only seem logical that gaming starts to implement more and more politics. As the saying goes, “art imitates life.” As gaming is seen as a form of art, we’ll likely see it incorporate our political lives.
All Grown Up
Since gaming’s inception, the industry has come a long way in its level of maturity. From Super Mario Bros. to The Last of Us, gaming has grown up significantly in terms of gameplay, visuals, narrative, and themes. And at this point, games won’t stop maturing any time soon. The latest Call of Duty title reflects that in its attempt to bring the series to a modern setting with relevant political commentary and more grounded tone.
As previously indicated, games are already fairly political in their own right. Examples include the aforementioned Mafia 3, BioShock, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. However, even for gamers who like to say that games have historically been apolitical, longtime favorites like The Witcher, Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs, and more have all touched been political to some degree.
It’s just a matter of ramping up the pace now.
The More Things Change…
As long as the multi-billion dollar industry that is gaming continues to grow, and as long as the political culture continues in its erratic manner, games will remain the political beasts that they are. Whether or not us gamers collectively enjoy that games throw out a relevant message in their narratives, our jarring political landscape will continue to produce games that have something to say about our turbulent climat.
Maybe this is a sign of something good. Art reflects life and life has politics. If politics is indeed present in gaming, then we can see that gaming is taken seriously as an art form through which developers want to get their voices and political concerns heard.
It may be a harsh reality that politics will be more apparent in the gaming industry over time. Sometimes, many want to put such serious and heated subjects and debates to the side for some quality downtime, but if gaming is going to prove its maturity, it’s got to do so by illustrating political messages.
Ultimately, we have to accept that going forward, and understand it given the political landscape.
