Not Just Fun and Games Anymore

Ian Bogost recently told an Associated Press reporter, Greg Bluestein, that he’s not against fun.  Bogost, a professor at Georgia Tech and founder of the quirky gaming company, Persuasive Games, sees in the video game an opportunity for tremendous potential to influence us, both politically and financially. Here’s a bit from Bluestein’s story:

Just as the documentary developed as a potent force within the film industry, Bogost is among a growing number of designers who develop video games that focus and comment on the world's social and political ills.

"I'm not against fun. I like to play the same video games everyone else does. But I don't believe that video games have to be fun," Bogost said. "I think they need to be given the opportunity to bother and disturb us."

The games don't quite carry the same weight as opinion pieces in traditional media. But their creators say they can still carry a punch as they force players to consider serious issues, such as security policy or the volatile price of gasoline.

Watch for Ian Bogost’s new book, Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames. will be out later this spring.  You should also check out Unit Operations: An Approach to Videogame Criticism.