Politically Motivated Games

Yesterday, at GDC's award ceremonies, a recorded message from a White House spokesperson was played, outlining a plan for game developers to compete for prize money by making games about nutrition and fitness education, to fight obesity.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know, video games have previously been used by the U.S. government in the context of specific simulations for internal training/education needs; they have not been used as part of a national propoganda effort before. As innocuous as this particular competition may seem, it points towards a future where game designers are employing their talents to massively sway public opinion. It's not just Jesse Schell's future of universial points systems, but something perhaps more insidious and worrisome - a form of mass-media manipulation that distorts factual behavior in favor of gameplay biased towards the administration's viewpoints. Imagine the government forcing developers to avoid "anti-American" gameplay.

I do not have a strong opinion one way or the other about whether this is a future we want; I think that the medium can be employed equally well in both rebellious and nationalistic contexts. I am compelled by self-interest, however, to enjoy the limelight, as it is one further indication of the rising stock of game makers these days. I might even participate in this competition, if I can think of a good sixteen-week game to make for it. I do support the goal of healthy lifestyle habits, after all.