Persuasive games

My understanding of Bogost’s term ‘procedural rhetoric’ is how video games send messages through the way the game is programmed, and how this sends a message to the player through their navigation of the game. The interactive nature of video games brings a whole new level of persuasion because it forces the player to make decisions; in some cases, moral ones. This arguably has a more powerful effect than a television programme or film because the viewer, or player, must face the consequences of their actions.

Upon watching and playing the September 12 game, I decided to look into other games that aim to send an anti-violence message through violent gameplay. Super Columbine Massacre RPG! (www.columbinegame.com) and Quest for Saddam (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0400759/) work in different ways to try and educate the player on issues. Super Columbine Massacre RPG! allows players to become the two gunmen from the Columbine shootings in the hopes that they can understand why they did it, and what they may have been thinking at the time. In an interview on MSNBC, Quest for Saddam creator, Jesse Petrilla explains how his game is intended to be a satire that brings light to how the war is “full of so many absurdities” (http://youtu.be/qep9MAFWNMM). The host of the show on MSNBC found the game hilarious and recognised that it was satirical, but the game was also promoted on channels like Fox News, a channel favoured by Republican North Americans. Some people who take interest in Quest for Saddam might not understand that it is meant to be a joke and may feel like their Islamaphobic views have been affirmed. Small details in the game, like the way the Iraqi soldiers speak in a way that mocks their language, could be received in the wrong way. The creator of the game is critiquing the ignorance of some Americans towards Muslims, but some players might think that because the game portrays them this way, it is okay for them to mock them, thus perpetuating negative attitudes.

While I understand that the game is a satire, I don’t understand how playing it communicates the right message.