Press B to March (Dissertation)
Video games are one of the most popular entertainment mediums in America. The average player racks up an average of 7 hours a week and the industry hauls in billions of dollars a year. Despite decades of moral panic and hand-wringing that video games are corrupting the civic values of American youth, very little research has been done to actually see how games influence political behaviors: specifically, our attitudes and tendencies to participate in politics. This dissertation uses a mixture of quantitative and qualitative analyses to argue that certain game experiences—those that make players think about social, moral, and political issues as well as those that strengthen social ties—can affect political attitudes and inspire players to be more active in politics.
The dissertation uses a mix of survey data, archival work, content analysis, and randomized controlled experimentation to present 4 main arguments:
Just like any other narrative medium, games tell stories to their consumers; stories that often concern or contain things that are relevant to our society at large. These stories are known to engender effects to our political behaviors when presented in the format of the news, movies, television shows, and novels. In this respect games are no different.
Unlike those other forms of media, though, games are far more interactive. The player is acting upon their experiences in ways that they can’t with other media. They are active agents in these worlds. The socially, morally, and politically relevant content is often contingent or can otherwise be linked to the actions that players perform via their avatars. And the behaviors they practice and perform behind the screen can have ramifications beyond it.
But the effects of games are not limited to their content: video games have always been social experiences. They encouraging new relationships and strengthen those that already exist. We know that, generally, these behaviors lead to increased political action—and this dissertation argues that the networks established around games are no different. They also lead to increased activity through the creation and maintenance of social capital as well as increasing the opportunities people have to be exposed to political talk.
These effects are not haphazard. Game designers consciously put relevant content into their games and strive for their multiplayer experiences to create feelings of community. And they (treatments sociopolitical issues and multiplayer opportunities) can be readily found in the vast majority of the most popular games released from 2007–2017. And these effects are not rare or uncommon. Gaming is not just for the young, awkward, and/or antisocial. Nearly 2 out every 5 Americans play games that engage with sociopolitical issues—and more play games socially with friends.
Games, in short, matter—in a lot of ways and for a lot of people. This dissertation provides one of Political Science’s first look into how and why.