Amanda LeClaire,
Sophia Jozwiak
Video games have been a multi-trillion dollar industry for years now. But over the course of the disaster, theater became a hobby – an important social connection for millions of people. Video games are also increasingly influencing music and film in a way that could greatly influence the next generation of media.
The growth and development of the gaming world has brought many issues. Labor, economic, cultural and political challenges have shaken the gambling industry in recent years.
In light of these developments, CultureShift is launching a new weekly segment to cover the many facets of the gaming industry featuring gaming journalist, Nate Bender. Bender hosts a daily gaming news podcast called “Let’s Play,” and is the creator of Check Point Radio, the first radio show for E-Sports. He is also a sound engineer at WDET.
“I think when people hear video games, they think of guns and violence and conflict. But games can be more than that. ” – Nate Bender
Bender says the gambling industry is bigger than we know, and is a big employer in places like Austin, Texas, and Seattle, Washington.
“This is a big, big business, and it affects a lot of people’s lives. So many creative people give their lives to make these games that we all love so much, and it affects so many different people, their lives and the world.” It’s all about justice.”
One of the ways that drama influences culture is through film. We’ve seen an increase in movie adaptations of video games in recent years (“Detective Pikachu,” “Sonic the Hedgehog,” the upcoming Super Mario movie), following a similar trend to movie adaptations of books comics (think: Marvel Cinematic Universe).
“Just as comic books have been fodder for an entire generation of entertainment, video games, visuals, have been positioned as the next comic book that will explode in terms of entertainment.”
Even music from video games has broken into the public consciousness. The Grammys now have a category for Best Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media, which recognizes excellence in music made specifically for video games.
While the average person may underestimate – or judge wrongly – the world of video games, Bender aims to change their opinion with this episode.
“I think when people hear video games, they think of two things: They think of guns and violence and conflict. But games can be more than that.”
Listen: WDET’s Nate Bender talks cultural impact of video games.
He played the following two games that reject these disturbing ideas: one where you are a cat on a mission, and the other where you research and take people’s stories. The first is called Stray, and it’s coming out on July 19, and the later is called Season: A Letter to the Future, which is scheduled to be released this fall.
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Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash This may interest you : Amazon Prime Video Channels: See Prime Day deals and all the TV channels you can add.
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