| Session Name: | Scapegoats No More: Improving the Public Image of Games (Presented by IGDA) |
| Speaker(s): | Ian Bogost, Michael Capps, Daniel Greenberg |
| Company Name(s): | Georgia Institute of Technology, Formerly of Epic Games, Freelance |
| Track / Format: | Advocacy |
| Overview: | Every new medium seems to invite a moral panic. The case of comic books in the 1950s is well known, but it was hardly the first. In the 18th century, the popularization of the novel was met with fear and derision ("depraved, foolish, yet dangerous books," one critic wrote of them). In the 1920s, the popularization of the crossword puzzle lit up the same embers of fear: idle wastes of time keeping citizens from work and family duties. Some game developers and players seem to believe that this problem will just go away on its own over time. But recent events should remind us that we can't just wait around for games to improve their own reputation in public life, because it won't happen. In this session, three experienced and opinionated public advocates for videogames will characterize the true nature of games' public image problem and offer concrete, short- and long-term strategies and tactics for improving the public image of games, useful to game developers no matter their role, project, or experience. |
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