Are video games out of control?

Olivier Mauco’s latest book, Jeux vidéo : hors de contrôle ? (i.e. “Are video games out of control?”), was published in February 2014. Following his previous work on GTA IV, he wrote from a broader perspective and questioned how video games were perceived in France, be it from an industrial, political or ethical point of view.

While the average player profile and the status of video games have significantly evolved over the last thirty years, the dominant discourse surrounding video games has not changed. Although they have become “the 21st century’s dominant mass medium”, most people do not understand them, “particularly those who do not play”, Mauco said in an interview for Konbini magazine. In his book, he explains how political rhetoric consistently demonizes video games as violent, addictive and undermining family values. He plans to publish a third book that will deal with the same topic from an international perspective.