More on war games

Last week I wrote about the depiction of war in video games and suggested that the line between virtual and actual conflict seems to be getting thinner.  Now, two Swiss human rights organizations have determined that some video games feature violations of international law.  The orgs, Trial and Pro Juventute, argue that the violence included in many of today’s “military games” would actually constitute war crimes, and that allowing gamers to simulate such actions legitimizes them.

Opponents of these games can object either on consequentialist or virtue-based grounds.  Either war crimes in games have a traceable effect on the values and behavior of games and thus society, or there’s just something inherently wrong with allowing war crimes to take place, even in a virtual setting (or both).  It’s hard to prove the consequentialist argument, and the virtue-based argument seems a bit censorial…  Would we censor all forms of media in this way?

The Swiss orgs responded that games are especially dangerous because of their interactive nature.  We don’t just watch war crimes take place – we make them happen (and are often rewarded with bonus points).

-Colin

Related posts:

  1. If video games lead to violence, should government regulate them?
  2. Fighting on a virtual battlefield
  3. Hey, China, spare a dollar?
  4. The court of public opinion
  5. Should China have been allowed to host the Olympics?

November 30, 2009 · Filed Under Colin, Human rights, War

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    Jacob Bronsther is a law student at NYU, a former Fulbright Scholar to Mauritius, and a graduate of Cornell University. He has an MPhil in Political Theory from the University of Oxford.

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  • Luke Freedman is a student at Carleton College, pursuing a double major in Philosophy and Political Science.


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