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Video games have extensive compelling narratives that gives the player a degree of agency that is not present in watching movies or reading books.
Every new entertainment medium—from the 17th century novel to 21st century video games—has had its share of scolds who panic about the social implications. Those moral panics are always misguided, but entertainment can indeed shape its consumers. This week, Aaron, Paul, and Will debate the ways that video games, by engaging players with compelling narratives and giving them a feeling of player agency, can change peoples’ beliefs and values. Along the way, they discuss what features would make a game ‘libertarian’ and what makes games fun.
What is player agency in video games? Are video games a vehicle for narrative stories? What makes video games valuable? Do video games inspire youth to act a certain way in real life? Is Minecraft a libertarian video game? What kind of video game player are you?
Video Games Should Always Let You Win, written by Aaron Ross Powell
As Gamers Age, The Appeal of Competition Drops The Most. Strategy is The Most Age-Stable Motivation, written by Nick Yee
6 Video Games Every Libertarian Should Play, written by Peter Suderman
Communicating Liberty Through Film and the Making Of “Freedom on Trial”, Free Thoughts Podcast
Introducing Libertarianism: A Reading List, written by Aaron Ross Powell
Will Duffield is a research assistant at Cato’s First Amendment Project.
Aaron Powell founded Libertarianism.org. He is now the host of (Re)Imagining Liberty, a podcast about the case for radical freedom.
Paul Matzko is a historian and a former research fellow for media studies at the Cato Institute. His book, The Radio Right: How a Band of Broadcasters Took on the Federal Government and Built the Modern Conservative Movement, was published by Oxford University Press. It has been described as “impressively researched and lucidly written” (Wall Street Journal), “provocative,” (New Republic), and “terrifically entertaining” (New York Journal of Books).