CHAPTER
1
CULTURAL CONVERSATIONS
ABOUT VIDEO GAMES
When a new technology becomes popular, there’s often a period
when people in the culture disagree or argue about the meaning of
that technology. For example, when cars became widely available
in the United States, there was a lot of discussion about what
these new machines would mean for people. Auto manufacturing
pioneer Henry Ford said his Model T car would allow every man to
“enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure.”
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But others
wondered whether cars were inherently evil. The Georgia Court
of Appeals, speaking of the dangers of these driving machines,
wrote: “Automobiles are to be classed with ferocious animals.”
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People knew the function of a car—to move people or things from
one place to another, quickly. But the meaning and value of the car
were very much under discussion. That was well over a century ago.
Though some ideas about automobiles have changed since then, the
question of whether cars are good or evil is no longer a question on
people’s minds. The car’s place in the culture is no longer a subject of
much argument.
Video games, on the other hand, are relatively new and changing
quickly. Conversations about their place in the culture are active and
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