Persuasive Games

Abstract

An exploration of the way videogames mount arguments and make expressive statements about the world that analyzes their unique persuasive power in terms of their computational properties. Videogames are an expressive medium, and a persuasive medium; they represent how real and imagined systems work, and they invite players to interact with those systems and form judgments about them. In this innovative analysis, Ian Bogost examines the way videogames mount arguments and influence players. Drawing on the 2,500-year history of rhetoric, the study of persuasive expression, Bogost analyzes rhetoric's unique function in software in general and videogames in particular. The field of media studies already analyzes visual rhetoric, the art of using imagery and visual representation persuasively. Bogost argues that videogames, thanks to their basic representational mode of procedurality (rule-based representations and interactions), open a new domain for persuasion; they realize a new form of rhetoric. Bogost calls this new form "procedural rhetoric," a type of rhetoric tied to the core affordances of computers: running processes and executing rule-based symbolic manipulation. He argues further that videogames have a unique persuasive power that goes beyond other forms of computational persuasion. Not only can videogames support existing social and cultural positions, but they can also disrupt and change these positions themselves, leading to potentially significant long-term social change. Bogost looks at three areas in which videogame persuasion has already taken form and shows considerable potential: politics, advertising, and learning.

Computerized simulation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, knowledge gap, and news media use

“…This study measured learning in the game, but previous studies about PeaceMaker have already indicated that by taking the role of either the Israeli prime minister or the Palestinian president the game aims to teach about the situation beyond the game play experience itself after acquiring sufficient levels of information about the situation (Cuhadar & Kampf, 2014). In fact, previous studies have indicated that playing a game eliciting role-taking resulted in greater knowledge acquisition and greater attitude change than reading a text conveying the same information (Bogost, 2007;Peng et al, 2010).…”

“…Empirical evidence has already indicated that these two dimensionsinteractivity and multimodalityare more effective than other presentation modes (e.g. non-interactive presentation modes) in influencing people's levels of knowledge about sociopolitical issues (Bogost, 2007;Gee, 2008).…”

“…Play is naturally conducive to learning (Kampf, 2014b). Learning by doing and learning by experiencing things were found preferable as interventions methods (Bogost, 2007;Gee, 2008;Maoz, 2011;Salomon, 2008). Games are both engaging and interactive in a way that is fun for the players.…”

Proceduralist readings

“…Bogost argues that the unique meaning-making strategy of games is "procedural rhetoric," the act of making an expression or argument through a game's processes or rules [2]. In this vein, Rod Humble's The Marriage has been much discussed since its release in 2007 for being a prime example as a work that has its "primary medium of expression something unique to games" -the rules [6].…”

“…A common failing of political games, according to Bogost, is that they "apply a political skin to existing procedural mechanics, without attempting to transfer those mechanics into rhetoric supporting a political argument" [2]. Existing games have been politically skinned with differing degrees of success depending on the coupling between the process being addressed and the mechanics of the source game.…”