In this blog post, we’ll explore the potential of games as creative works that go beyond mere entertainment to interact with people and convey messages.
Games have long been the subject of significant social controversy. In particular, regulatory policies regarding youth gaming often reflected the perception that games were the cause of social problems. A prime example was the “shutdown system,” introduced in South Korea in 2011 to restrict late-night online gaming for minors under the age of 16. However, following debates over its effectiveness and shifts in societal attitudes, the system was abolished in 2021. Currently, a system based on voluntary parental supervision and guardian-led usage management is in place.
Those who advocated for gaming regulations cited the goal of preventing excessive gaming among adolescents and ensuring they get sufficient sleep. These policies stemmed from concerns that gaming hours could negatively impact adolescents’ health and lifestyle habits.
As such, South Korean society has long tended to view gaming somewhat negatively. When a youth commits a crime, attention often focuses on whether the suspect regularly played games, and cases of health problems resulting from prolonged gaming have been widely reported in the media. Furthermore, studies on the effects of excessive gaming on physical and mental health have been consistently published. This information has sometimes led the public to perceive games as a highly harmful medium and a direct or indirect cause of various social problems.
In fact, this perception is not new. Even during the 2005 military shooting incident, some media outlets highlighted the soldier’s gaming history to emphasize the harmful nature of games. However, criticism was also raised that there was insufficient evidence to simply attribute the cause of the incident to gaming alone. This was because experts pointed out that complex social and personal factors needed to be examined comprehensively.
On the other hand, there is also a perspective that views games as creative works. In 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a California law restricting the sale of violent video games to minors was unconstitutional. In his opinion, then-Justice Antonin Scalia explained that games are a form of expression capable of conveying ideas and social messages to people through literary expression and the medium’s own unique methods. Consequently, the Court ruled that games are also protected under the freedom of expression guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This is regarded as a landmark precedent that recognized games as a medium of culture and art—just like books, plays, and movies—capable of conveying the creator’s intent. Furthermore, he stated that the depiction of violence alone cannot serve as grounds for restricting expression.
So, which perspective offers the correct understanding of video games? It is likely difficult to say that either perspective has fully considered all aspects of video games. Viewing video games solely as a source of negative social influence overlooks their diverse potential, while, conversely, viewing them exclusively as creative works that convey messages risks downplaying the various problems that can arise during gameplay.
What is clear is that games are often perceived through a distorted lens compared to other cultural media that serve similar functions. An even bigger problem is that, because of this image, games are easily singled out as the cause of social problems, leading to a vicious cycle in which negative perceptions are further reinforced. To break this cycle, we need to look beyond stereotypes and consider the actual characteristics and potential that games possess.
What can be called a “game”? At first glance, this may seem like a question anyone can easily answer, but in reality, it is not easy to define such a wide variety of game forms under a single concept. In the dictionary sense, “game” is a broad concept that includes sports and various forms of play. However, for the purposes of this discussion, it is appropriate to limit the scope to digital games played through electronic media.
Even within this category, however, the forms of games are extremely diverse. Some games aim to determine a winner and loser by competing against others, while others progress by following a predetermined story and narrative. Still other games are designed not to present a specific goal, but rather to provide various tools so that users can create new outcomes on their own. When we include not only PC games but also console games, mobile games, and virtual reality (VR) games, we can say that the forms and experiences of games are truly diverse.
However, even amid this diversity, games share one important common characteristic: they “interact” with the player. And this characteristic is precisely what most distinctly sets games apart from other media.
Movie audiences cannot change the plot of a film at will, nor can readers alter the content of a book. In games, however, players can directly change the in-game environment as they play. Furthermore, the game environment altered by the player’s actions in turn influences the player’s subsequent choices and experiences.
A prime example is the “Civilization” series. The goal of this game is to develop one’s own civilization, and the player’s civilization interacts with other civilizations in various ways. In this process, the player can either conquer rival civilizations militarily or establish cooperative relationships through diplomacy.
Choosing conquest allows players to eliminate the threat posed by rival civilizations and secure territory to grow, but war carries significant risks. Even if conquest is successful, other civilizations may exploit the weakness caused by the war to launch an invasion. Conversely, choosing diplomacy may reduce these risks but sometimes requires sacrificing opportunities for military expansion.
When you factor in the methods used to execute these choices, the game’s progression becomes even more diverse. There are countless possible strategies: maintaining hostile relations from the start; establishing friendly ties and waiting for the opponent to weaken; building sufficient military strength to negotiate on equal footing; or seeking survival by aligning with a superpower. In this way, the game is designed to allow players to create unique experiences by interacting with the game world in various ways.
This interactivity is a unique characteristic of games that is difficult to find in other media. Even when conveying the same message, games allow players to experience it in a way that is entirely different from other media.
A prime example is ‘Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare’. As the game progresses, players take on the role of a member of an air support unit tasked with attacking enemy forces to support allied ground troops. In this process, the player attacks enemies from the air with powerful weapons, leaving them virtually unable to retaliate.
This experience allows players to directly witness how far away from the enemy one can attack in modern warfare and how advanced weapons are changing the nature of war. Some users may reflect on the dehumanizing nature of modern warfare through this, while others may simply accept it as part of strategic gameplay. The key point is that this experience is not merely passive viewing but is shaped by the player’s own choices and actions.
Of course, such scenes can be adequately portrayed in movies or books. However, movie audiences and book readers can only observe events from a third-person perspective. In contrast, in games, the player becomes the active agent shaping the situation, and this leads to a unique form of experience that only the medium of gaming can deliver.
In addition, interaction creates another form of enjoyment that only games can provide: the sense of accomplishment players gain as they overcome each stage of the game one by one. Unlike other media, games require the player’s active participation and effort for the story to progress. And when the results of that effort lead to visible changes within the game, players feel a sense of satisfaction knowing that their choices and actions have produced those outcomes.
The form of achievement varies from game to game. It may involve reaching a goal, leveling up a character, solving a difficult problem, or overcoming a high-difficulty challenge. The sense of accomplishment gained through these processes can go beyond simple enjoyment and lead to an experience that boosts self-confidence. However, this sense of accomplishment does not carry the same meaning as real-world achievements, and the impact on users can vary significantly from game to game.
As such, games possess unique characteristics that distinguish them from traditional media, and the experiences they offer are equally distinctive. Furthermore, games have the ability to incorporate the strengths of existing cultural and artistic media—such as the visual appeal of films, the narrative of novels, and the emotional depth of music. In this regard, games can be considered a medium with tremendous potential for growth.
Nevertheless, a distorted image of games still persists in South Korean society. One of the main reasons for these misconceptions is the tendency to assume that the characteristics of certain games we encounter represent the gaming industry as a whole.
Of course, South Korea is home to one of the world’s largest gaming markets and offers an environment where a wide variety of games are readily accessible. However, for a long time, specific genres—such as massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), competitive online games, and mobile collectible role-playing games (RPGs)—have dominated the domestic market. Although genres have been gradually diversifying recently and the indie and console game markets are growing, many of the titles that achieve significant commercial success still emphasize competition and progression.
These games are often designed around competition between players. While competition itself isn’t the problem, when the core appeal lies in determining victory or defeat or leveling up characters, the diverse messages or artistic expressions that games could convey sometimes receive relatively little attention. Furthermore, because these games are designed to provide players with a strong sense of accomplishment, some players become overly immersed in them. Ultimately, people tend to think of these aspects first rather than the diverse possibilities games offer, which can lead to a negative perception of games as a whole.
Of course, it is difficult to attribute this phenomenon entirely to South Korean game developers. The concentration of investment in genres with high market potential is a common phenomenon in the global gaming industry as well. Major overseas game companies also develop games with profitability as a key objective.
However, how the market and society view games as cultural content has a significant impact on development directions. In an environment where games are perceived merely as a way to pass the time, investment in new initiatives or experimental works may be relatively limited. Conversely, in societies that recognize games as a form of cultural and artistic content and a means of expression, an environment conducive to the emergence of works with diverse themes and formats is fostered.
In fact, the perception of games as cultural content—rather than mere play—has been steadily spreading overseas for quite some time. Amid this atmosphere, developers have consistently introduced games featuring diverse messages and original formats, and games are establishing themselves as important content in the cultural and artistic fields, transcending the scope of a mere cultural industry.
For example, “Halo 3,” upon its release in 2007, generated approximately $170 million in sales in a single day, achieving one of the highest launch performances in the entertainment industry at the time. Since then, the gaming industry has continued to grow, becoming one of the leading sectors in the global content industry today, with major games demonstrating cultural influence on par with that of movies and music.
About 100 years ago, when movies first appeared, many people viewed them merely as a novelty or a form of entertainment. However, as time passed, the artistic potential and social value of film were recognized, and today, film has established itself as one of the leading art forms.
It remains to be seen whether games will fully establish themselves as a field of art in the future. However, it is clear that games are not merely a form of entertainment or a toy. Games are creative works that interact with people to convey stories, evoke a range of emotions, and enable new ways of engaging with society. And these possibilities will expand even further as our society seeks to view and understand games from a wider variety of perspectives.
