In a writing published in Spain, games are also accused of classism, machismo and racism presented in releases such as GTA V.
Vicenç Navarro, Professor of Political and Social Sciences at the Pompeu Fabra University of Barcelona, has written an article in the Spanish newspaper Diario Público that in a few hours has caused a stir ont he Internet. And is not for less. Baptized with the title of ‘Violent video games as a change in the cultural-ideological climate: fascist neoliberalism in the media’, the economist also collects a series of statements warning of “chanting to physical force, machismo and violence in any form “that disclose, according to him, many industry releases.
And exemplified several titles as PUBG, Manhunt 2, Mortal Kombat or the most significant in the exposed conclusion, Grand Theft Auto V. In the successful production of Rockstar, always according to his words, you can see the pure version of Mafioso neoliberalism with characteristics of a clearly fascistoid far right.
This open-world adventure of the continues to serve as an object of study to Navarro, who in a later paragraph also accuse the sector of promoting classism, machismo and racism. “His attitude is always sexual, vulgar and provocative, the figure of the woman is presented as a mere sexual object for pleasure and fun of man,” he says without mentioning the multitude of releases of recent years that has had strong protagonists and courageous as Tomb Raider, Horizon: Zero Dawn or Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, which would put in better context the exhibition of the political scientist.
The Catalan economist uses his extensive piece to join those voices, such as those of Donald Trump himself, who affirm that violent behaviour and video games go hand in hand. In fact, in his writing he completely rejects any opposition, stating that the accumulated evidence has already shown falsehood when television was accused of this in the past. Thus, a study conducted in 2010 by the State University of Iowa was cited, where a connection was found between behaviours, thoughts and aggressive attitudes, as well as the reduction of prosocial behaviours and empathy towards victims. In this sense Navarro warns of how young people spend hours and hours connected to the screen but disconnected from the real world, leaving in the background his social or family life and his studies.
In final lines, yes, Vicenç Navarro dedicates some more cheerful phrases about video games, remembering that they can also have educational purposes and be used in a way that does not impoverish interpersonal relationships, enjoying the experiences collectively, which can turn them into a useful tool. However, throughout the text, it makes deaf ears to the numbers studies that do not find a relationship between aggressive behaviours and violent games.
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