Why social impact is the future of gaming and isn’t a bogeyman to be afraid of
It’s like a Pavlovian response that’s driving the video game industry, because the moment someone mentions “merit”, “value” or “impact” eyes are being rolled and discussions are being neglected. But where does this deeply rooted phenomenon come from, what can we do about it and why is it so important to focus on henceforth?
Games are solely meant to be fun
There’s this common misconception that games can only be fun and nothing else, because the moment you inject something outside of this biosphere, all gets tainted and loses its original intent: To entertain. However, if we look a bit-more closer (specifically referring here to a description under “entartain” in a Cambridge dictionary), we find that “entertain” also carries the meaning of “think about” which translates to, and to quote “To hold in your mind or to be willing to consider or accept”.
The above is already something that pokes fun at this rigid statement of games solely equal to fun classification. The interesting part comes from how games already tried to bridge the gap by widening its perception and the themes used in gaming: Just think about titles that tackled emotionally expressive subjects, explored sorrow, hardship, or loss (but that’s just the beginning).
Another aspect is the driving force behind the developer side of things, because let’s be honest, for the longest, the majority of games came from the imaginary, not necessarily from the reflection of life itself (as a way of pure escapism, handpicking abstraction, not a manifestation of facing the truth); thus being lighthearted, or more often than not, an abstraction or a slice of a very specific aspect of living (like first person shooters on a “mission”, or fantasy characters playing a “role”). This approach, dare to say mentality, is something that also shaped the perception of gaming throughout the decades, and was the leading cause of labels from the public (who didn’t play games) such as “childplay” or “made for kids”.
However, as mentioned above, being entertained in a visceral way (focused on mostly action and short emotional bursts) isn’t the sole option when it comes to having fun; far from that. This is nothing new, as there are countless examples from the past (in cinema, literature, music or even traditional art like paintings or sculptures) that showed another aspect of intellectual fulfillment (another word not to be afraid of). And not just the sake of it, but to enrich and build upon the previous.
Gaming, for the majority of the time, was still too focused on the emotional impact, opposed to providing substance that can last longer; the situation is especially terrifying in the mobile space, where exploiting the psyche is the standard, to ensure highest profit margins (like using the fear of missing out). We see this time and time again, where say the narration, the story that each experience is trying to tell us, is often measured by this objective lens of number-crunching, where story equals hopping between physical locations (going from “A” to “B”) or the size of its spectacle; which is why Hollywood is filled with blockbusters all trying to destroy the universe, because there isn’t any higher stake than that (eerily reminiscent of the infamous scope creep).
Then there’s the aspect of repetitive exposure that drives isolation: Plenty of studies highlighted how people can shy away from facing certain aspects of life, say environmental or political issues (which often embodies in lack of taking action), when they’re constantly being bombarded with information; and more often than not those carry a negative connotation, so it’s natural that people want to protect themselves from harm, and would rather shove their heads into the ground (obviously, there are exceptions to this rule, because sometimes it can be a free choice of will not to partake).
All of this should not signal the end, far from it, because it is not impossible or even unheard of to break through this rigid system gaming has evolved in.
For the longest, gaming was viewed as an anomaly, a sub-culture often enjoyed by a niche group of people with a specific kind of taste (especially when it was new and very expensive); often people loved to call them “nerds” or other derogatory titles. And to be said, even just a few years ago, before the boom of accessibility (both in tools to make games, such as visual scripting, and the widening of the audience), the “Kingdom of Gaming” was held tight with egos the size of mountains, carefully gatekeeping and polishing their own armor of knighthood while the peasantry roamed free and enjoyed the blessings of their masters; still are but increasingly weakening.
However, the advancement in technology and production, going from text games to 2D, later 3D with increasingly better graphics and quality, meant that more games reached those who were skeptical of this whole thing with computers; so the demographics started to change at a rapid pace, which was also a key ingredient large corporations wanted to take advantage of (and they did just that).
This meant that arriving to today, games are a well known aspect of life, ranging from the young to the old; as the average age of players are 30 and above. What is surprising is how little the overall perception has changed, because still, the majority of games are stuck inside that bubble of comfort; for better or worse. It's no longer about serving niche interests, especially not catering to solely one gender (as half of gamers are women), but to cater to others’ as well as yours’; however that part is mostly neglected because of the nature of convenience, lack of intent, or any other hidden motivations (like character, as in personality traits or just access to funding/networking).
There’s this fundamental disconnect that innovation isn’t needed in this regard, and the same content pipeline of the ages could be utilized over and over without consequences. That it is only a matter of marketing, getting the reach of new players, that’s holding the industry back; that is the notorious discoverability (while it plays a role in today’s issues, not the sole contributor, far from it, but that has been pointed out by many before). That is why it’s most striking to see that while there were fundamental changes in the composition of the audience (from age, to gender, to social status), no industry wide efforts were seen to capitalize on this; beyond “using” the Hollywood method of focus group testing, essentially saying that making sure everything is as generalized as possible for widest of covering.
And this is where the crux of the problem lies: Imagine if books were only accessible for the niche and never evolved to something everyone can enjoy; providing the same five flavours under a different paint doesn’t translate to accessibility. And it’s not that games cannot provide to everyone’s flavor either, yet this aspect of design is poorly neglected. On one hand, the industry is in a rot because it failed to address the elephant in the room, that in order to mature as a whole, a different set of approach is needed for making games; not just creating more binary genres (mixing two or more existing together, or coming up with new schemes), rather to understand the needs of those who are left behind, and not (gate)keeping gaming from progress in the form of neglecting a much needed structural reset.
You see this in attempts to pivot, say to name an example, the creation of eco-conscious games (doing something to prevent ecological collapse, or experience the far future of total fallout as a warning), where people can address the issues modern day present; sort of providing escapism for those affected, or wanting to address their concerns in one way or another.
A larger audience comes with the caveat of catering to the uncomfortable realization that what has worked before, is not the end; hence the explosion of cozy games, because players want more. However, the trend is that none of this matters, as change in this realm will mostly come from outside of the industry; certainly not from a major player at the top (that’s the reason why gamers tout the coming of indie games, falsely, but that’s another topic for another time).
To act upon and change the perception of the meaningful, we need to have a closer look on some of the aspects that created those barriers in the first place. Like tackling a sensitive topic, as in anything that someone doesn’t like to face head on, first needs to be understood where it came from. It could be:
Innate. Certain people have certain preferences born with (some with great tolerance for neglect), which if not desired to be changed, could seal any attempt to removing it (if deemed necessary).
Taught. Parenting, education, social stature or circumstances often can come with this perplexing outcome of pushing you away, opposed to embracing it all. Not just to oppose the status-quo (for the sake of it), but often the way, the unnatural demanding way alongside it (aka. You’ve to accept this whether you want it or can understand it).
Experienced. Some of the time people can go through certain life events that could either end up in a form of trauma, or be strong enough to become a deterrent for life. This, in combination of the continuous bombardment of information, say from media outlets, can further reinforce the notion of keeping one’s self in a safe place.
All the above can perpetually keep the gates shut. So-o, How can we change that? Using the eco-anxiety as an example, it’s one thing to say that something doesn’t affect you, a whole other if we look at the greater picture. Most of the time people don’t care about the things they don’t have power over or feel the consequences on themselves. To a certain, selfish degree it is a universal truth, however, most of the time we feel it on ourselves, just not consciously. When weather becomes extreme, and houses are torn apart in countries not accustomed to, action is taken. But when prices go up due to drought, very little happens, yet it still affects everyone.
All of this doesn’t stop at the surface either: say domestic violence can shape culture and society, rendering social gatherings awkward, communications stilted, values shifted or any number of ill effects one can think of. It can also manifest in the psychological (depression, anxiety in mild cases and others), and ultimately causing physical illness from reflux (constant stomach ache) to others like cancer (as constant stress is a major contributor). Whether we like it or not, circling back to the bogeyman metaphor, some things in life exist beyond our bubble of influence and understanding, and shouldn’t be dismissed on the basis of unfamiliarity.
How can we act upon that? A good way would be to approach the entire problem of neglect from a different angle, almost always, direct confrontation will never lead to anywhere constructive; this is where creativity can shine. Believe it or not, everything comes down to execution once again: Easing the player in with a tasteful approach and showing instead of telling. You’d be surprised how quickly perceptions can change, if the issue isn’t tackled head on from the same direction it is being neglected; that’s why influencers have a powerful grip on people, because they’ve the power to break down those barriers, essentially offering zero resistance for new ideas to flourish (for better or worse). This is why, normally, it takes a lot of effort to change someone’s perception of a certain aspect of their life, because of the associated, often complex “relationships” that play a role in said formulated opinion.
The power in social impact
Similar to literature, consumed entertainment has the ability to change how we think, and has the strength to leave a lasting impression. Yet gaming positioned itself far away from any of that, demonizing any attempt changing it, partially because of the aforementioned knee-jerk response of the lackluster and not fun in this case, and for the very reasons that it is yet to happen at scale.
Why is this important anyway? Changing how we think, provoking critical thinking is key to a healthy life; especially avoiding the position of being cornered into something we don’t understand and need. Not just for the sake of being different, or appealing for a (seemingly) niche audience, but to tackle a deeper aspect of our everyday life: Solving problems and making decisions that benefit us (and hopefully others as well) should be a natural occurrence (to avoid manipulation). In this day of age, where information is increasingly orchestrated by a small group of circles, it is vital for anyone to stay relevant and up to date with how the world operates, what the underlying mechanisms are and how we can make sense of it. Because, most of the time people either don’t have the time and space, or lived a life of the “sheltered” where it didn’t become apparent what the striking issue was; that’s why, as an example, certain health conditions need external intervention, with the aid of a third party other than ourselves and close relatives.
The beauty of this is that social impact doesn’t necessarily need to be colossal, or “the ultimate” in order to have an effect; in fact so much so that it could be seamlessly integrated into almost anything. And once again, traditional forms of media already proved that this isn’t just a fairy tale and could work with fairly high efficiency. Why do you think children's literature exists in the first place? Classically, to not just entertain, but to teach, to warn, to enlight; technically that is the basis of all old stories and myths, not solely written for children, but to remind us of the past. All of these require very little effort, and mainly hinge on the intent to implement them. And it’s not that any of these need to be direct (“this is the moral of the story”), in fact could be and should be applied more nuanced, often in subtext: An alley depicting poverty, where people walk by and are ignored, up until a point where someone “special” comes in and helps them out (like bringing food, clothes, etc.) and they all have a chat along side; a gentle reminder that austerity doesn’t render people evil or monstrous universally, and that in fact personal circumstances are at play also, not just ignorance on their part.
This is the part that is missing from games, and holds the key for the future. Not another clone, or a remake, or a never-before-seen mix of two or more genres: it’s all about intent and value, and how we present them. A low hanging fruit ripe for the taking, but it seems that jumping on that boat is unacceptable, as the industry is perfectly fine with swimming in the swamp of ages and surviving on the ease of disposable content; at the expense of innovation and progress.
Having an impact also means that in the smallest of interactions in life, a great difference could be made, if we’re willing to go there. A kind gesture when needed, even just a restraint of keeping those boiling tensions locked, or willingness to listen to other’s opinions with more flexibility, are all positive signs of which impact is all about. And that is the reason why it is so damn important to focus on, especially in this day of age; not just the state of the world, but the increasing isolation we are facing as a species in the age of the internet.
A big part of exploration isn’t just to leave an impact, but to tackle subjects currently not present or mainstream in gaming: Could you imagine a game made about the Holocaust, or the horrible events happening in Ukraine, or tackling historical events well in the past about how Stonehenge was made, or bringing attention to everyday’s (life, marriage, work, etc.), or to show ideas, teach people, or explore everything else that’s out there? If not, then you should be. Because as much as those five flavours are sufficient, seemingly, breaking down boundaries and exploring the unknown is where the excitement begins and should be to focus on; that’s why breakout games in narratives hit so hard, as they oppose the status-que of the “action heavy”. Because we moved past the pursuit of tech, as we’ve reached a pivotal moment in history, where artisan expression should be reigning free.
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