Kerstin Radde-Antweiler on the socio-political relevance of video games

In the context of the Gamescom in Cologne, Kerstin Radde-Antweiler explains why video games are so relevant today, what they have to do with values, and how they can actively contribute to social debates on values.

ZeMKI member Prof. Dr. Kerstin Radde-Antweiler is an expert on digital gaming in the context of cultural and religious communication. She researches games as “gamevironments” – spaces in which meaning, identity, and religious narratives are negotiated. As co-editor of the journal gamevironments and through international collaborations, she regularly contributes her expertise to debates on religion, sustainability, and the social significance of digital games. At the Gamescom trade fair in Cologne, Kerstin Radde-Antweiler explains why video games are so relevant, what they have to do with values, and how they can actively contribute to social debates on values.

Why are video games relevant at all?

The economic and commercial significance of the video game sector has become increasingly apparent in recent years. In 2022, more than €335 billion was spent worldwide on video game sales alone (Statista 2024), not including money spent on related franchises, TV series, and advertising revenue on YouTube. A look at global sales of digital media reveals a remarkable trend: the gaming segment now accounts for around half of total revenue, and its market share continues to grow (game 2024). In addition, revenue from video games is estimated to increase by more than 12% by 2027. But video games are not only an essential part of social life in terms of financial resources. If we look at the age distribution of video gamers in Germany in 2024, for example, it becomes clear that the figures are very evenly distributed across the different age groups (Statista 2024). It is not only the younger generation, but the highest proportion (18%) of players are people between the ages of 50 and 59, closely followed by people between the ages of 30 and 39 (17%) and people between the ages of 10 and 19 (16%). And 12 percent of all players in Germany are between the ages of 60 and 69! This shows that video games are no longer a niche phenomenon, but an established part of society. In contrast, video games are mostly viewed negatively and/or marginalized as unimportant in media discourse and research discourse. The social and cultural significance of video games continues to be underestimated or reduced to their financial importance.

However, if we look at the significance and role of video games in current discourse, it quickly becomes clear that they have a major influence on society and culture. One example of this is the US election campaigns. Because video games convey meaning, they are used to persuade certain target groups in specific situations. It is therefore not surprising that video games have long been part of political marketing strategies, with digital games being used as an innovative tool to successfully introduce young people to politicians. For example, Fortnite was used by the Democrats for the so-called Biden-Harris campaign in the 2020 US presidential election. This consisted of a separate map in the game – the Build Back Better With Biden Island – and was launched a few days before the US presidential election.

Players could complete six challenges related to the Biden-Harris political agenda. The aim of the campaign was to engage players in a meaningful, appealing, and entertaining way in order to reach and mobilize voters (Foreman 2020). Similar processes can also be observed in other countries. Russia, for example, has recently stepped up its efforts in the field of video games: In 2019, Putin instructed the government to appoint a non-governmental organization (NGO) to oversee the creation of online content focusing on the moral and spiritual development of young people. In December 2021, the Russian Internet Development Institute presented its initiative to finance Russian video games that are oriented toward so-called Russian cultural values and mentality.

What do video games have to do with values?

Although it is a dominant form of popular media, the consideration of ethics or morality in video games sometimes does not go beyond superficial representations that portray gaming at best as frivolous entertainment and at worst as a trigger for addictive behavior or youth suicide attempts. However, closer examination reveals that players become ethical actors when gaming and that the ethics of gaming should be viewed as a complex network of responsibilities and moral obligations that are part of a larger gaming environment. Players are not passive or amoral, but rather reflect on and create ethical positions that can then be considered in the game of value formation. In this context, game rules, game narratives, game design, and gaming as such are closely linked to decision-making processes and specific values that give meaning to players’ decisions. Values are discourses and practices that are constantly (re)defined and (re)negotiated by actors depending on time, context, and abilities.

Values can be found on several levels in the field of video games: on the one hand, video games are not created in a vacuum, but are produced and consumed in specific historical and social contexts. Video games therefore also reflect the values of specific social and cultural contexts. A good example of this is the different portrayals of enemies in video games at different points in time. First-person shooters such as the Call of Duty series or the Medal of Honor series feature classic stereotypes such as terrorists from the Middle East, Russian ultra-nationalists, Nazis, or Latin American street gangs, all of whom primarily serve to provide the player with an opponent that legitimizes the player’s violence.

Depending on specific world events, there is an increasing use of specific groups of people—after 9/11, for example, there was an increase in Muslim male terrorists, similar to other pop culture formats. Reciprocal links between social categorizations such as religion, race, class, and gender can be identified. Conversely, games such as Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 show that, in contrast to older games, same-sex partnerships and relationships are portrayed by game developers as an accepted part of the social norm. On the other hand, values are also represented by players within the games themselves, and discussions about these values arise. For example, the aforementioned game Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 was heavily criticized by more conservative players who had praised the previous game for its lack of diversity. In terms of values, it is clear that certain values of the game and those of some (conservative) players clash and are discussed as incompatible.

The example is also interesting because the game introduces a third level of discussion, namely the values of the game setting, which is the early 15th century. The players’ decisions thus have an impact on the game world as such—e.g., the reactions of the villagers to the game character when they perform certain actions that do not correspond to the values of that time. A final level of values is increasingly found in so-called serious games, i.e., video games that aim to convey educational content through playful elements. Here, the focus is on conveying specific values. Examples of this are games that aim to encourage engagement with historical topics such as the Nazi era, but also with recent topics such as anti-Semitism and conspiracy theories.

How can video games actively contribute to debates on social values?

Recently, game developers have also begun to focus on the potential of digital games to promote debates on social values. One example of this is climate awareness. Climate change has been an important topic in video games since the early 2000s, but the quantitative and qualitative penetration of the topic has increased. Today, they are part of so-called indie games such as Plasticity, a free one-hour game developed by students and set in a future where “plastic consumption has never stopped, leaving behind lifeless landscapes, flooded cities, and widespread garbage…” But AAA games such as Sid Meyers Civilization VI Gathering Storm from 2019 also reflect on the topic and give players something to think about in the game instructions: “The decisions you make during the game affect the world’s ecosystem and can impact the future of the entire planet.

Natural disasters such as floods, storms, and volcanic eruptions can plunder or destroy your modernizations and districts—but they can also renew and enrich the land. Another prominent example of the integration of the narrative of climate change, or rather climate catastrophe, is Floodland from 2022, in which the world has been destroyed and rising sea levels have flooded coastal areas. Players are tasked with helping humanity survive this catastrophe by leading a group of survivors to safety.

Resources must be gathered, forgotten technologies rediscovered, and peace between rival groups maintained while the reconstruction of civilization is driven forward. Games such as Minecraft have also integrated games on this theme, e.g., “Build a better world” in the Minecraft Education Edition. The importance of this topic in the gaming industry is also evident at the level of game developers. This can be seen, for example, in the Playing for the Planet initiative, a coalition supporting the video game industry in minimizing its environmental impact. By joining, the participating game studios and industry organizations have committed to specific and measurable measures ranging from reducing greenhouse gas emissions to integrating sustainable game content and supporting global environmental initiatives. More than 20 companies belong to this alliance, which is supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Research has identified a new genre of games for this purpose: environmental games. In these games, players change the virtual environment through their actions and thus influence the conditions of the game. These games are deliberately designed to promote environmental awareness—through their design, game mechanics, and visuals. These video games primarily use the natural curiosity, creativity, and thirst for knowledge of the players as motivation. This enables them to inspire change and help build a stronger connection to nature. Games generally have the power to positively influence our behavior because they reach our subconscious and can thus shape our habits. However, there has not yet been sufficient research into how these video games can lead to active and long-term engagement and advocacy for environmental protection. Diskussionen beschäftigen sich mit der Frage, welche Rolle Videospiele für die Entwicklung von Zukunftskompetenz spielen können. Dieses Konzept wurde von der UNESCO entwickelt und soll Menschen dabei helfen, Strategien für den Umgang mit einer ungewissen Zukunft zu entwickeln – besonders angesichts des Klimawandels. Zukunftskompetenz bedeutet, besser zu verstehen, wie die Zukunft unser heutiges Handeln und Denken beeinflusst. Diese Fähigkeit kann dabei helfen, Politik und Systeme zu entwickeln, die Krisen standhalten und langfristige Widerstandsfähigkeit aufbauen. Wer verschiedene Zukunftsszenarien vorausdenkt, kann sich sowohl auf wahrscheinliche Entwicklungen vorbereiten als auch auf wünschenswerte Zukünfte hinarbeiten. In beiden Fällen geht es darum, die Gegenwart bewusst zu gestalten. Zukunftskompetenz umfasst aber auch die Fähigkeit, spontan und flexibel auf unvorhergesehene Ereignisse zu reagieren und so mit den Unsicherheiten umzugehen, die die Zukunft mit sich bringt. In Bezug auf Video Games stellt sich nun die Frage, wie Spiele dazu beitragen können, Menschen zu befähigen, sich antizipierend, proaktiv und spontan-reaktiv mit der Zukunft auseinanderzusetzen?