War Games: Memory, Militarism, and the Subject of Play
Lead Research Organisation:
London South Bank University
Department Name: School of Arts and Creative Industries
Abstract
This network focuses on the relationships between videogames, militarism and war, cultural memory and history. It aims to develop new critical understandings of these relationships and the ways that game narratives address players.
The relationship between military-themed videogames and real-world conflict is receiving increasing attention in the disciplines of politics and international relations as well as in games studies and related fields. Yet the ways in that videogames - from mainstream commercial titles to alternative 'critical' games - can and do deal with past wars, how they relate to contemporary militarism, and how they engage, empower (or disempower) players, remain poorly understood.
The network brings together scholars from games studies, media & cultural studies, psychology, sociology and international relations, as well as academic-practitioners with games-industry expertise, to focus on three relatively neglected but crucial issues:
1) the role of videogames in the formation and negotiation of collective and cultural memory of past wars;
2) the ways that games position the player in relation to history, war and militarism; and
3) the extent to which critical, anti-war/peace games offer an alternative or challenge to mainstream commercial titles and their cultural and political implications.
Our intention is to contextualise the analysis of videogames in relation to wider political discourses and practices, enlarging our understanding of war games in a similar fashion to that developed in relation to film and other media through which war is represented. In addition to academic audiences, our work addresses videogame developers, writers, designers and others in the games industry; and other stakeholders concerned with war and conflict, such as NGOs and news organisations.
The relationship between military-themed videogames and real-world conflict is receiving increasing attention in the disciplines of politics and international relations as well as in games studies and related fields. Yet the ways in that videogames - from mainstream commercial titles to alternative 'critical' games - can and do deal with past wars, how they relate to contemporary militarism, and how they engage, empower (or disempower) players, remain poorly understood.
The network brings together scholars from games studies, media & cultural studies, psychology, sociology and international relations, as well as academic-practitioners with games-industry expertise, to focus on three relatively neglected but crucial issues:
1) the role of videogames in the formation and negotiation of collective and cultural memory of past wars;
2) the ways that games position the player in relation to history, war and militarism; and
3) the extent to which critical, anti-war/peace games offer an alternative or challenge to mainstream commercial titles and their cultural and political implications.
Our intention is to contextualise the analysis of videogames in relation to wider political discourses and practices, enlarging our understanding of war games in a similar fashion to that developed in relation to film and other media through which war is represented. In addition to academic audiences, our work addresses videogame developers, writers, designers and others in the games industry; and other stakeholders concerned with war and conflict, such as NGOs and news organisations.
Planned Impact
We envisage the potential impact developing out of the network in terms of refining, clarifying and innovating ideas about the possibilities of videogames as a medium for representing and communicating about war and conflict. There is evidence of an appetite for this, and indeed in many respects critique has failed to keep up with developments in games: in seeking to advance critique we hope to drive developments onward, as well as enriching scholarly understanding.
The issues we are addressing, concerning the relationships between videogames and cultural memory, contemporary militarism and player subjectivities, are potentially of interest to three key constituencies outside academia:
(1) games industry professionals, particularly developers, writers and designers;
(2) NGOs who work in conflict and humanitarian emergency situations; and
(3) news organisations which have invested in serious news gaming.
We have already engaged with a number of relevant stakeholders as part of the informal meetings which have led to this bid, and have established a number of useful relationships which we will use as a starting point for further involvement. The proposed network will build on these existing links with our three key stakeholder groups, inviting them to the launch network meeting and the final conference, and holding a workshop meeting aimed specifically at potential games industry partners.
The issues we are addressing, concerning the relationships between videogames and cultural memory, contemporary militarism and player subjectivities, are potentially of interest to three key constituencies outside academia:
(1) games industry professionals, particularly developers, writers and designers;
(2) NGOs who work in conflict and humanitarian emergency situations; and
(3) news organisations which have invested in serious news gaming.
We have already engaged with a number of relevant stakeholders as part of the informal meetings which have led to this bid, and have established a number of useful relationships which we will use as a starting point for further involvement. The proposed network will build on these existing links with our three key stakeholder groups, inviting them to the launch network meeting and the final conference, and holding a workshop meeting aimed specifically at potential games industry partners.