War Games: Memory, Militarism and the Subject of Play

by Philip Hammond (editor), Holger Pötzsch (Editor)

Many of today's most commercially successful videogames, from Call of Duty to Company of Heroes, are war-themed titles that play out in what are framed as authentic real-world settings inspired by recent news headlines or drawn from history. While such games are marketed as authentic representations of war, they often provide a selective form of realism that eschews problematic, yet salient aspects of war. In addition, changes in the way Western states wage and frame actual wars makes contemporary conflicts increasingly resemble videogames when perceived from the vantage point of Western audiences.

This interdisciplinary volume brings together scholars from games studies, media and cultural studies, politics and international relations, and related fields to examine the complex relationships between military-themed videogames and real-world conflict, and to consider how videogames might deal with history, memory, and conflict in alternative ways. It What is the role of videogames in the formation and negotiation of cultural memory of past wars? How do game narratives and designs position the gaming subject in relation to history, war and militarism? And how far do critical, anti-war/peace games offer an alternative or challenge to mainstream commercial titles?

278 pages, Hardcover

Published December 12, 2019

About the author

Emeritus Professor of Media & Communications at London South Bank University

Reviews

[stercz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know it might be a problematic to review a book with my chapter in it, but I believe this collection is a very valuable resource for researchers and designers interested in discourses of games about war.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent edited volume discussing the game studies elements of war games, although almost entirely focused on first person shooters. Not much discussion of top down strategy games.