Are video games destructive?
Have you ever read a news article where a person injures themselves or their environment for the perfect Instagram picture? Can video games encourage similar behavior?
A lot of places are what is now called "loved to death": influencers, tourists and everything in between affect the environment -and themselves- in search for the perfect shot, the perfect social media post. To the detriment of what they are photographing.
Sadly, this is nothing new, but a large amount of articles have come out in recent months talking about the problem, and so I think it's important to consider how video games might also affect our environment.
I speak about this issue briefly in my own MA thesis:
"In 2009, assistant professor of anthropology Michael A. Di Giovine already talked about the problem of portraying the ruins of Angkor being looted and its prized possessions sold on the black market - a real-life problem that prompted UNESCO to react negatively to the Tomb Raider film made after the first and second games of the franchise. The portrayal of destructive tomb raiding, inaccurate representation of artifacts and the West's victory over the dangers of Angkor are what triggered a response, warning about the dangers of it happening in real-life, and about the image of the sites in general.
As recently as last year, the government of Bolivia issued a formal complaint to its French embassy about Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands, a Ubisoft game set in Bolivia. Bolivia's Interior Minister Carlos Romero complained that the game unfairly portrays Bolivia as a narco-state under the control of a drug cartel. In the game, the player controls an elite covert operations unit on a mission called Operation Kingslayer, which is centered around the destabilization and possibly annihilation of the Santa Blanca drug cartel in Bolivia. As the game unfolds, it reveals that the fictitious government of Bolivia made a deal with the Santa Blanca drug cartel to keep doing their business, as long as casualties were kept to a minimum, after the government's efforts to stifle the rise of Santa Blanca failed.
After threats of legal action and a demand that the French government intervene, Ubisoft issued a public statement: "In a statement to Reuters on Thursday, Ubisoft said the game is "a work of fiction" and that Bolivia was chosen as the background for the game because of its "magnificent landscapes and rich culture.""
The reach of video games into national image already exists, and can contribute to the branding of a nation. With the two previous examples, we have an external image portrayed within the real-life settings of the locations, bringing fiction into reality and vice-versa. Nation branding is made to send out a positive image, but sometimes, additionally, to counter possible negative images seen from an external point of view. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands and the controversy it created in Bolivia reminds us that the positive image being worked on is not necessarily reflected outside of the nation."
So, do video games really have an impact on the locations their portray? I don't believe there are a lot of studies that exist on the subject, or they have not surfaced yet, but it is definitely something to consider. Michael A. Di Giovine makes excellent points in his research, and we need to see more of it!
Recently, the game Shadow of the Tomb Raider showed we are capable of being more reflective about destruction and colonialism. But is it enough, or is it too little, too late? Is the damage already done? The recent construction project of an airport near Machu Picchu suggests that tourism might trump historical and archaeological sites. Now we need to make sure video games don't add to the destruction.
Sources.
Loved to Death: How Instagram Is Destroying Our Natural Wonders : https://www.theringer.com/2016/11/3/16042448/instagram-geotagging-ruining-parks-f65b529d5e28
The Instagram Obsession With Flowers Is Killing Them: https://www.theringer.com/tech/2019/5/1/18524074/instagram-obsession-with-flowers-is-killing-them
How Instagram Ruined the Great Outdoors: https://newrepublic.com/article/153603/instagram-ruined-great-outdoors
Bolivia complains to France about its portrayal in video games: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bolivia-france-videogames/bolivia-complains-to-france-about-its-portrayal-in-video-game-idUSKBN1692PK
Michael A. Di Giovine, The heritage-scape: UNESCO, World Heritage, and tourism.
'Shadow of the Tomb Raider' Tries, but Fails, to Tackle Its Own Colonialism: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/d3jgeq/shadow-of-the-tomb-raider-review-tries-but-fails-to-tackle-its-own-colonialism
'It would destroy it': new international airport for Machu Picchu sparks outrage:
All images are from Unsplash.