It would be interesting to look at first player shooter games like Call of Duty and Halo, and look at the impact they have had on the gaming industry. It would also be good to connect these games to society’s ever changing views and perhaps how they downplay war.
Are you referring to desensitisation of war? If so, this topic could be expanded upon Games and into other forms of media. Maybe this topic should become a series of articles which focus on desensitisation of war. – Ryan Errington9 years ago
I recommend you read "On Killing" and "On Combat" by LTC (Ret.) David Grossman before writing these articles. He deals in these books with such little known facts as the low shooter rates in earlier wars. It turns out, as many as 50% of Soldiers in the Civil War shot high, chose to reload for others, or actually continually reloaded the same weapon. It is why shilhouettes at shooting ranges are human shaped today; Soldiers are more willing to kill now.
I suggest you also look at how photography and the telegraph changed the outlook on war in America after the Civil War. I have a paper that touches on this but is about something else. I could forward the bibliography to you. – orenhammerquist9 years ago
If you are looking at whether it is right or wrong, looking at Halo would be looking at whether or not it changes the effect shooting at aliens, things that don't look even remotely human for the most part. Also does a game tell both sides of a war or just the one, and if so which side is it in favour of, and does it glorify this. Their is a lot of areas you could explore with this topic. – Tyler McPherson9 years ago
I would strongly recommend looking into information on drone pilots specifically. I remember reading that there is an unprecedented rate of PTSD amongst drone pilots, and one theory is specifically because many early drone pilots felt like they were playing a video game, then they killed a dozen people without any real sensory feedback. I don't know if this is specifically the intended direction you had in mind, but it seems fascinating and relevant. – Christopher Vance9 years ago
It might also be interesting to compare the classic video game depictions of war to something like This War of Mine that examines the civilian side of conflict too. – Hannah Spencer9 years ago