The Dark Side of Game Play Controversial Issues in Playful Environments [Hardcover]

Games allow players to experiment and play with subject positions, values and moral choice. In game worlds players can take on the role of antagonists; they allow us to play with behaviour that would be offensive, illegal or immoral if it happened outside of the game sphere. While contemporary games have always handled certain problematic topics, such as war, disasters, human decay, post-apocalyptic futures, cruelty and betrayal, lately even the most playful of genres are introducing situations in which players are presented with difficult ethical and moral dilemmas. This volume is an investigation of dark play in video games, or game play with controversial themes as well as controversial play behaviour. It covers such questions as: Why do some games stir up political controversies? How do games invite, or even push players towards dark play through their design? Where are the boundaries for what can be presented in a games? Are these boundaries different from other media such as film and books, and if so why? What is the allure of dark play and why do players engage in these practices?

Part I: Introduction  1. Dark Play: The Aesthetics of Controversial PlayfulnessTorill Elvira Mortensen and Jonas Linderoth  Part II: Discourses of Dark Play  2. Analyzing Game Controversies: A Historical Approach to Moral Panics and Digital Games Faltin Karlsen  3. Of Heroes and Henchmen: The Conventions of Killing Generic Expendables in Digital GamesRen? Glas  4. Dont Forget to Die: A Software Update is Available for the Death Drive Emily Flynn-Jones  Part III: Dark Play or Darkly Played?  5. Killing Digital Children: Design, Discourse and Player Agency Bj?rn Sj?blom&l#(