Podcast #102: War, Violence, and Videogames
Today marks the release of Battlefield 3, a videogame that’s been positioned to compete directly with the most popular franchise in the military warfare genre, Modern Warfare 3. Both games thrive off of a key component: violence. In today’s podcast, editor-in-chief Richard Clark, editor Drew Dixon, and associate editor Ben Bartlett get together to discuss the nature of videogame violence. Does violence have a place in videogames? Does it have to be such a large place? They discuss these questions, plus Battlefield 3 and the like’s refusal to include civilian casualties in their games.
Plus, Drew Dixon offers up his Top 5 instances of videogame violence, for your, uhm, enjoyment?
Thanks to Luke Larson for the new CaPC theme music!
Further Reading:
When Games Matter: Civilians in War Games
Play in Process: The Virtual Battlefield
Virtual Scapegoats: Getting to the Truth About Videogame Violence
When Games Matter: Videogame Violence and its Frequent Lack of Self Awareness
When Games Matter: Shadow of Colossus and the Truth About Violence
Play in Process: Coming to Terms with Violence
The Wasted Potential of Videogame Violence
Every week, various Christ and Pop Culture writers delve deeper into recent articles and address some of the bigger issues in popular culture.
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