Abstract
This paper outlines the relationship between military themed or oriented video and computer games and the process of militarisation. A theoretical and analytical framework which draws on elements of sociology, cultural studies and media analysis is required to help to understand the complex interplay between entertainment in the form of playable media, the military and the maintenance of Empire. At one level games can be described as simple forms of entertainment designed to engage players in a pleasurable fun activity. However, any form of media, whether playable or not, contains within it a set of ideological and political structures, meanings and ways of depicting the world. For the purpose of this paper playable media with a military theme or orientation will be described as political tools helping to shape the mental framework of players through the extension of a form of “military habitus”. Playable media with a military theme or orientation such as the Call of Duty series promote and facilitate the extension of the process of militarisation and impact on how players view the world. This worldview can have consequences for national security in promoting pro-war sentiments.
Chapter PDF
References
Der Derian, J.: Virtuous war: mapping the military-industrial-media-entertainment network. Routledge, New York (2009)
Lenoir, T.: All but war is simulation: The military-entertainment complex. Configurations 8(3), 289–335 (2000)
Leonard, D.: Unsettling the military entertainment complex: Video games and a pedagogy of peace. SIMILE: Studies In Media & Information Literacy Education 4(4), 1–8 (2004)
Thomson, M.: Military computer games and the new American militarism: What computer games teach us about war, p. 317. University of Nottingham, Nottingham (2009)
Gillis, J.R.: The militarization of the western world. Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick (1989)
Geyer, M.: The Militarization of Europe, 1914-1945. In: Gillis, J.R. (ed.) The Militarization of the Western World. Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick (1989)
Kohn, R.H.: The Danger of Militarization in an Endless” War" on Terrorism. The Journal of Military History 73(1), 177–208 (2009)
Hardt, M., Negri, A.: Empire. Harvard University Press, Boston (2000)
Graham, S.: Robowar dreams. City 12(1), 25–49 (2008)
Martin, M.J., Sasser, C.W.: Predator: The Remote-Control Air War over Iraq and Afghanistan: A Pilot’s Story. Zenith Press, Minneapolis (2010)
Rodrigues, M.R.A.: Wired for war: The robotics revolution and conflict in the 21st century. Naval Law Review 60, 223–223 (2010)
Orr, J.: The militarization of inner space. Critical Sociology 30(2), 451 (2004)
Thomas, T.: Banal Militarism: Zur Veralltglichung des Militrischen im Zivilen. Transcript Verlag, Bielefeld (2006)
Saltman, K.J.: Education as enforcement: The militarization and corporatization of schools. Routledge, New York (2011)
Enloe, C.H.: Maneuvers: the international politics of militarizing women’s lives. University of California Press, Los Angeles (2000)
Lasswell, H.D.: The garrison state. American Journal of Sociology, 455–468 (1941)
Virilio, P., Lotringer, S.: Pure war.semiotext(e), Los Angeles, CA (2008)
Hardt, M., Negri, A.: Multitude. Penguin Books, London (2006)
Shachtman, N.: Special Forces Get Social in New Psychological Operation Plan, in Danger Room, Wired.com, http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/01/social-network-psyop/ (first accessed January 22, 2012)
Kent, S.L.: The ultimate history of video games: from Pong to Pokemon and beyond: the story behind the craze that touched our lives and changed the world. Three Rivers Press, Roseville (2001)
Galloway, A.R.: Gaming: essays on algorithmic culture. Electronic Mediations. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis (2006)
Hoeglund, J.: Electronic Empire: Orientalism Revisited in the Military Shooter. Game Studies 8(1) (2008)
Hill Jr., R.W., et al.: Pedagogically structured game-based training: Development of the ELECT BiLAT simulation. DTIC Document (2006)
Gagnon, F.: Invading Your Hearts and Minds: Call of Duty and the (Re) Writing of Militarism in US Digital Games and Popular Culture. European Journal of American studies (2) (November 2010)
Institute for Creative Technologies. Background (cited March 21, 2012, 9:04:51 AM) (2012), http://ict.usc.edu/background
Bourdieu, P.: Outline of a theory of practice (Esquisse d’une theorie de la pratique). Transl. by Richard Nice.(Repr.). In: Gellner, E. (ed.) Cambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology, vol. 16. Cambridge University Press, New York (1977)
Noble, G., Watkins, M.: So, how did Bourdieu learn to play tennis? Habitus, consciousness and habituation. Cultural studies 17(3-4), 520–539 (2003)
Wacquant, L.J.D.: Body & Soul. Oxford University Press, New York (2004)
McFarland, K.A.: A performance map framework for maximizing soldier performance, p. 408. Doctoral dissertation in Faculty of the Graduate School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin (2011)
Smith, R.: The long history of gaming in military training. Simulation & Gaming 41(1), 6 (2010)
Nieborg, D.: Training recruits and conditioning youth: the soft power of military games. In: Bogost, I., Huntemann, N.B., Payne, M.T. (eds.) Joystick Soldiers: the Politics of Play in Military Video Games, Taylor & Francis, New York (2009)
Mitchell, M., Brown, K.: Development of Simulation Software in Military Training and Gaming Systems (2009), Online version published, http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary? , doi:10.1.1.134.8352
Stott, N.: Anticipating military work; digital games as a source of anticipatory socialization? Paper presented at the British International Studies Association American Foreign Policy Conference, University of Leeds, UK, September 15 (2010)
Stahl, R.: Militainment, inc: war, media, and popular culture. Routledge, New York (2010)
Masters, C.: Cyborg Soldiers and Militarised Masculinities. In: Shepherd, L. (ed.) Gender Matters, in Global Politics: A Feminist Introduction to International Relations. Routledge, New York (2010)
US Embassy New Zealand Photo stream. Creative Commons license some rights reserved, http://www.flickr.com/photos/us_embassy_newzealand/5681578435/sizes/o/in/set-72157626502891531/
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 IFIP International Federation for Information Processing
About this paper
Cite this paper
Martino, J. (2012). Video Games and the Militarisation of Society: Towards a Theoretical and Conceptual Framework. In: Hercheui, M.D., Whitehouse, D., McIver, W., Phahlamohlaka, J. (eds) ICT Critical Infrastructures and Society. HCC 2012. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, vol 386. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-33332-3_24
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-33332-3_24
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-33331-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-33332-3
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)