I agree with Delwiche’s argument that video games like America’s Army, Special Force, and Call of
Duty are a form of propaganda. According to the article, propaganda is “the
deliberate and systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions,
and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of
the propagandist.”
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Immersion refers to the idea that video games provide a
profound sensory domination through sight, sound, touch, and the perception of
bodily movements. Intense engagement is the quality of video games that allows
the player to feel like they are in control of their actions. Because of the
physical and psychological attachment to the narrative a video game creates,
the player can identify with the fictional character and world. Finally,
interactivity is a quality of video games that sets it apart from other forms
of media such as cinema or billboards, because “the ongoing interaction between
these representations and the embodied behavior of the user… makes such images
more than images.”
These four qualities make video games an intriguing form of
media that gives it the ability to be more powerful than other forms of media.
This power has been recognized by the CIA and other government agencies.
For example, former CIA director William Colby worked for a
video game company after retiring, and a former marine confessed to working at
a video game company with the goal of gaining support for the war against Iran.
The success of this form of media is evident in the release of America’s Army, following the 9/11
attacks. This game was downloaded more than 40 million times, putting it in the
Guinness book of world records.
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Every game has a set of rules and a fictional narrative that
work together to create the world depicted in the video game. This combination
gives life to video games, but according to U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Brian Gonterman who served a tour in Afghanistan, the enemy in these games isn’t
sophisticated enough to behave like humans because they work based entirely on
systematic rules programmed by the developers. According to Gonterman, “In a
game, you know what to expect; whereas in real life, the situation changes
every day and you learn by going out of the wire all the time.”
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