Video Games: The Government’s New Propaganda Tool
Politics /
Propaganda
Dec 18, 2012 - 06:07 AM GMT
By: Jeff_Berwick
Video games are one of the fastest growing industries right now, with franchises such as Halo bringing in revenues of over 3 billion dollars. Governments are increasingly trying to twist the business into a brainwashing machine to promote their agendas, just as has been done with the movie industry.
Why are video games such a perfect tool for governments and why are governments stepping up their usage of them? Because the Internet generation now have easy access to all information and points of view. Governments don't want kids using the Internet to learn about these things. So governments need to keep kids distracted and under constant brainwashing. A typical American kid might go to school all morning learning about how great America is and how dangerous the rest of the world is, then come home and play some video games like Strategy 2012.
This game was free during the Presidential campaign and tells you who you should vote for and how political campaigns are run (or at least how the government would like you to think it's done). This is the official game description: “Help Mitt Romney win the Nomination by beating his conservative rivals. Then choose Romney or Obama and fight for the presidency in Ohio.”
America's Army: Getting your kids through boot camp before they are 18!
Or how about this FREE game (recruiting tool) that has cost tax payers well over $50 million dollars to develop and that will ensure your kids become more likely to want to enter the army?
America's Army is what is called a 3rd person shooter that will teach you about real military strategies, weapons, equipment and more, prepping your kids for the future. In order to even get to play the game you will first register all your personal information and go through up to an hour of “boot camp” where you are forced to watch video interviews with American “heroes” that have been to war, talking about how great it is. Once you actually get to play it you will notice the lack of blood, gore and other atrocities making sure not to scare away future recruits.
Not only are government-developed games spreading propaganda. Game developers are now accepting the norms set by the government like in Scribblenaughts where the game set's a puzzle for you to solve by conjuring items. In one puzzle you get a mission called "Peacefully break up the Rioters!" What would a sane person try first? Well, I tried "Diplomat" and "Peacekeeper". Neither had any effect. So I tried “Tear Gas” and had the crowd crying and disbursing in seconds, immediately earning a gold star just as you would in school when you have done something right! You can watch the video here of me playing the mission.
And after a good session of gaming the kids will then watch some TV, like say CSI, where the police are always right and teaches you that you will always be caught and punished by the government's super agents if you break their rules!
So you see, now that the gaming industry have been infected by government propaganda they are now constantly sending the information they want to your kids. Except for when they sleep. But don't be surprised if they come up with a way to get them then, too.
Michael Bach is COO and Manager of TDV Media and Services LLC, the parent company of The Dollar Vigilante where he is heavily involved in many of the product lines for TDV including Passport and Subscriber Services. He also manages AcaCondos and Las Torres Gemelas Private Suites boutique hotel in Acapulco. Born and raised in Denmark he has lived in Acapulco, Mexico for the last 11 years and is happily married to his beautiful Mexican wife, drinks lots of coffee and enjoys many facets of his adopted culture.
Anarcho-Capitalist. Libertarian. Freedom fighter against mankind’s two biggest enemies, the State and the Central Banks. Jeff Berwick is the founder of The Dollar Vigilante, CEO of TDV Media & Services and host of the popular video podcast, Anarchast. Jeff is a prominent speaker at many of the world’s freedom, investment and gold conferences as well as regularly in the media.
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