I've been seeing this sort of rhetoric appearing more and more often in the discourse nowadays, especially recently since the drone strike on the Iranian general Soleimani, and I can't help but wonder about the moral implications of this on the industry.
Clearly, in the face of shameful events like GamerGate and even simply just lingering around social media in general, it is beyond obvious that gamers have become a cynical but effective breeding ground for military obsessed right wing nationalists. Yes, a lot of them are mouth breathers who are all talk and will retreat behind the shield of mental illness (thereby further discrediting legitimate cases of mental illness, but that's another discussion) as soon as the draft officer arrives at the door, but that is what makes something like the drone program all the more concerning, because it is essentially just a HOTAS system hooked up to a camera controlling an impressive but scary piece of death dealing technology. There is no inherent danger in this job, and I'm afraid that is exactly why it has become such a huge keystone of modern militarism all over the globe. It has never been easier to recruit young people into the system with promises of blowing people up from the comfort of behind a computer screen thousands of miles away.
Beyond the obvious disgusting moral implications of trivializing warfare to such a degree (another discussion best suited for elsewhere), it will also have some serious blowback on the gaming industry itself, as the line between harmless virtual violence for the sake of entertainment and real violence causing death and destruction becomes more blurred. The spotlight will be on us sooner or later, we're seeing the beginnings of it right now, and it is not going to be a fun time for those of us who are actually well adjusted citizens who would rather not have the censor stick wielded like a Sith lord in our favorite medium. Ancient questions that hacks like Jack Thompson used to pursue with fanatical vigor will be dredged up and given new life, which will further perpetuate this victim complex that the GG crowd and others like them always run with when any amount of pressure is applied to them, and on the cycle goes.
Clearly, in the face of shameful events like GamerGate and even simply just lingering around social media in general, it is beyond obvious that gamers have become a cynical but effective breeding ground for military obsessed right wing nationalists. Yes, a lot of them are mouth breathers who are all talk and will retreat behind the shield of mental illness (thereby further discrediting legitimate cases of mental illness, but that's another discussion) as soon as the draft officer arrives at the door, but that is what makes something like the drone program all the more concerning, because it is essentially just a HOTAS system hooked up to a camera controlling an impressive but scary piece of death dealing technology. There is no inherent danger in this job, and I'm afraid that is exactly why it has become such a huge keystone of modern militarism all over the globe. It has never been easier to recruit young people into the system with promises of blowing people up from the comfort of behind a computer screen thousands of miles away.
Beyond the obvious disgusting moral implications of trivializing warfare to such a degree (another discussion best suited for elsewhere), it will also have some serious blowback on the gaming industry itself, as the line between harmless virtual violence for the sake of entertainment and real violence causing death and destruction becomes more blurred. The spotlight will be on us sooner or later, we're seeing the beginnings of it right now, and it is not going to be a fun time for those of us who are actually well adjusted citizens who would rather not have the censor stick wielded like a Sith lord in our favorite medium. Ancient questions that hacks like Jack Thompson used to pursue with fanatical vigor will be dredged up and given new life, which will further perpetuate this victim complex that the GG crowd and others like them always run with when any amount of pressure is applied to them, and on the cycle goes.
