The Dark Side Of Game Play: Controversial Issues In Playful Environments (routledge Advances In Game Studies)
by Ashley Ml Brown /
2015 / English / Kindle, EPUB
1.1 MB Download
Games allow players to experiment and play with subject
positions, values and moral choice. In game worlds players can
take on the role of antagonists; they allow us to play with
behaviour that would be offensive, illegal or immoral if it
happened outside of the game sphere. While contemporary games
have always handled certain problematic topics, such as war,
disasters, human decay, post-apocalyptic futures, cruelty and
betrayal, lately even the most playful of genres are introducing
situations in which players are presented with difficult ethical
and moral dilemmas. This volume is an investigation of "dark
play" in video games, or game play with controversial themes
as well as controversial play behaviour. It covers such questions
as: Why do some games stir up political controversies? How do
games invite, or even push players towards dark play through
their design? Where are the boundaries for what can be presented
in a games? Are these boundaries different from other media such
as film and books, and if so why? What is the allure of dark play
and why do players engage in these practices?
Games allow players to experiment and play with subject
positions, values and moral choice. In game worlds players can
take on the role of antagonists; they allow us to play with
behaviour that would be offensive, illegal or immoral if it
happened outside of the game sphere. While contemporary games
have always handled certain problematic topics, such as war,
disasters, human decay, post-apocalyptic futures, cruelty and
betrayal, lately even the most playful of genres are introducing
situations in which players are presented with difficult ethical
and moral dilemmas. This volume is an investigation of "dark
play" in video games, or game play with controversial themes
as well as controversial play behaviour. It covers such questions
as: Why do some games stir up political controversies? How do
games invite, or even push players towards dark play through
their design? Where are the boundaries for what can be presented
in a games? Are these boundaries different from other media such
as film and books, and if so why? What is the allure of dark play
and why do players engage in these practices?
