Politics in video games

[StaceyPowers]

What games have you played that incorporated a lot of commentary on real-world social and political issues? Did you enjoy them and like what they had to say, or not? In this category, most of the games I can think of fall under Take-Two’s franchises, including BioShock and RDR, and I have been pleased with their messages against bigotry.

 

[m76]

We have to separate two categories. Political topics in videogames and political activism in videogames.

The first one is OK, the second is not.

As soon as it gets out of context and not the ingame character is speaking but the designer / writer through that character it becomes an issue.

I don't care what they have so say, don't use the game as a platform for your personal politics, if you are a game designer. Unless the game is literally about your personal political views.

[killamch89]

1 hour ago, m76 said:

We have to separate two categories. Political topics in videogames and political activism in videogames.

The first one is OK, the second is not.

As soon as it gets out of context and not the ingame character is speaking but the designer / writer through that character it becomes an issue.

I don't care what they have so say, don't use the game as a platform for your personal politics, if you are a game designer. Unless the game is literally about your personal political views.

My sentiments exactly but I'd go a little farther and say real-world politics shouldn't be anywhere near video games because these are the spaces some of us use to "get away from the real world". Unless it's for historical reference, nobody wants to hear about politics period.

[m76]

11 hours ago, killamch89 said:

My sentiments exactly but I'd go a little farther and say real-world politics shouldn't be anywhere near video games because these are the spaces some of us use to "get away from the real world". Unless it's for historical reference, nobody wants to hear about politics period.

Yes, present day real world politics is hard to include without it seeming like activism. So it's best avoided. Fictional and past politics is fine however.

[Empire]

I think this applies to some games for sure but games like kingdom come: deliverance, assassins creed should push certain beliefs as its historically accurate which is important, we can’t distort the truth in games. But games that are fake so to speak, those like sykrim, minecraft etc. I don’t believe they should. I’m not saying they do but it’s just an example of a game with no historical importance or factual backstory xD

[The Blackangel]

RDR2 deals a good amount with racism. It takes place in 1899, and a lot of NPC's are still on the fence. Some of the characters in Arthur's gang still have the 1825 mindset. There are NPC's everywhere that think the south won the civil war. One of the black characters in Arthur's gang, that he's really good friends with, makes the statement in conversation between the two of them that a lot of people would call Arthur a "nigger lover". Those are the exact words the game used. Those words came from a black character. So the game helps people get a look at how people thought a mere 30 years after the war. Then there are female protests all over in all towns about getting equality and the right to vote, that are often met with violence from the men.

It really shows how archaic the minds of people were 121 years ago. There are a lot of other instances that show the barbaric political climate in the game, and none of it is pretty. But as ugly as it is, it's an eye opener.

As the saying goes: Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

I just wish that applied to progressive history as well.

Edited December 23, 2020 by The Blackangel

[Kane99]

I don't mind when games get political or try to use politics. But I don't like when they preach politics. Thankfully that doesn't happen a ton in games, at least not to my knowledge. But as long as the politics aren't in your face, forcing you to follow a certain way, then I'm totally fine. 

[Reality vs Adventure]

I came across this game: PS4 We. The Revolution where during the French Revolution you are a judge and decides who to sentence to death. Seems interesting to me, but not sure how it plays out. 

[StaceyPowers]

5 hours ago, The Blackangel said:

As the saying goes: Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

This is what I wanted to reply to some of the replies here. One cannot draw a firm line between past and present politics. Our current political and social conditions were born out of the past, and in many respects, the same issues that existed then continue today.

[Reality vs Adventure]

4 minutes ago, StaceyPowers said:

This is what I wanted to reply to some of the replies here. One cannot draw a firm line between past and present politics. Our current political and social conditions were born out of the past, and in many respects, the same issues that existed then continue today.

So in other words, even though most political games that are historical can also have significance in today's politics. Like in Wolfenstein fighting them Nazis. I can definitely relate that to today's climate. So even though it is based on an alternate history of the Nazis taking over America in the New Colossus, the little collectibles in the game such as post cards and letters have writings that actually depict fascist agendas that have historical and present day relevance. And I say that as the game came out a few years ago and still in 2020 we have heard the same things said in our current political environment almost word for word from trump and party. Such a weird deja vu to hear your government repeat such vile antics. While games shouldn't be used as a political prop, historical games could be relevant today for that simple truth to the matter, history does repeat itself. 

[StaceyPowers]

55 minutes ago, Reality vs Adventure said:

While games shouldn't be used as a political prop, historical games could be relevant today for that simple truth to the matter, history does repeat itself. 

Yes, all of these observations are spot on. And with BioShock Infinite, a friend in Europe asked me to explain religion's role in America's politics, and I just wanted to tell her to play that game, because I feel like it showcases the culture very well and explores some of its roots, values, claims, and appeals to its adherents.

Sometimes games are even prescient!

 

[m76]

1 hour ago, Reality vs Adventure said:

So in other words, even though most political games that are historical can also have significance in today's politics. Like in Wolfenstein fighting them Nazis.

I think Wolfenstein is a terrible example, it does a disservice to the cause it wants to preach. Yes I think especially the new colossus is very preachy.

The games doesn't take the nazi threat seriously, they are presented as extremely stupid almost infantile. This is a clear example of forgetting the past. The nazis weren't stupid, especially in the game since they won the war there.

[killamch89]

5 hours ago, m76 said:

I think Wolfenstein is a terrible example, it does a disservice to the cause it wants to preach. Yes I think especially the new colossus is very preachy.

The games doesn't take the nazi threat seriously, they are presented as extremely stupid almost infantile. This is a clear example of forgetting the past. The nazis weren't stupid, especially in the game since they won the war there.

I have to agree here - I think Medal Of Honor has done the Nazi a bit more service in terms of making them seem like an organized threat. I don't think I've seen a game actually depict the Nazis accurately as in the concentration camps, burning Jews alive, the various experiments done on said Jews. Most video games just skim over the details.

[m76]

If there is anything to learn from Naziism that Wolfenstein forgets, is how dangerous mobthink and demonizing a group of people is. (in that case the jewry). I don't think for a minute that all germans were pure evil during WWII, they were just given an enemy to project all their woes onto.

And the so called anti fasists  now are doing the same thing, demonizing trump voters thinking they are all vile and evil. They are repeating the past, not learning from it, exactly because they are trying to forget that WWII  nazis weren't stupid.

[The Blackangel]

3 hours ago, m76 said:

If there is anything to learn from Naziism that Wolfenstein forgets, is how dangerous mobthink and demonizing a group of people is. (in that case the jewry). I don't think for a minute that all germans were pure evil during WWII, they were just given an enemy to project all their woes onto.

Pure evil or not, the soldiers had a choice. They didn't have to follow orders blindly in an attempted genocide. The word "mutiny" exists for a reason. It's also the reason a lower ranking officer can relieve a higher ranking officer of command. When they're blinded by evil. My great(x3) grandparents were German immigrants somewhere around the Civil War. They literally couldn't even say "Hello" in English. They settled in a German speaking area and built a life. Every generation up to my grandmother was bilingual in German and English. The reason I'm mentioning that is due to my German heritage. I'm proud of my heritage. But for the years of 1933-1945 I fully renounce my heritage. I guarantee that I'm the most misanthropic bitch you will ever encounter, and yes there are some that I have a special hatred for. But I have never tried to lead a genocidal movement to eradicate them. And believe me, it would be easy to do. Why do I not do it? Because they're not worthy of the time.