Illustration. Courtesy of the lovely Sabine G\u00fcnther.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIt’s often been said that the moral outrage around video games is the result of a generational gap: most people born before, say, 1970, are unfamiliar with video games, and as a result, they’re afraid of them. This speaks to the negative impressions involved in the debate, and seems to make sense. But the fact that so many people fail to see the immense value, the huge potential for good, in video games, is another matter. I think this part is due to widespread confusion between medium and content.<\/p>\n
Video games are a very special medium. Unlike traditional one-to-many media, its content is interactive \u2013 the player takes an active part in the events portrayed. Unlike newer many-to-many media (like blogs and social networks), on the other hand, the content of games is not entirely up to the participants to create \u2013 a portion of the content is always designed and produced on a one-to-many basis.<\/p>\n
But in a way, video games are still just a medium. Like with other media, the medium does not necessarily define the content, nor does the content necessarily define the medium.