“The War Economy” | Neocolonialism in games

We’re back with another feature film– I mean video essay, and just in time for Christmas. In this video, Sara explores neo-colonialism in games. They’ll be looking at everything from Call of Duty, to anti-war games like Spec Ops: The Line, all the way to the satirical Saints Row IV.

TW // Discussions and depictions of racism, Islamophobia, war and military conflict, blood and gore, and suicide

Contents:
0:00 – Intro
3:40 – Key concept: Neo-colonialism
14:31 – Key concept: Military-Entertainment Complex
21:33 – Part 1
22:52 – i. Horrible Histories
29:59 – ii. Answering the call of duty
36:13 – iii. The good guys
40:10 – iv. Are we the baddies?
44:42 – v. Fear and loathing
49:30 – vi. Does art imitate reality, or does reality imitate art?
56:10 – Part 2
1:01:17 – i. Or is it worse?
1:15:21 – ii. Heart of darkness
1:32:59 – iii. The same old theme
1:47:32 – iv. The man who sold the world
2:08:01 – Conclusion
2:13:37 – Outro

Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GameAssistYT
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gameassistyt/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GameAssistYT
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GameAssistYT
Merch: https://gameassist.bigcartel.com/
Buy some books! (affiliate link): https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/GameAssist

Full reference list: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a-C2rF4FmoN7dibYnIVDZPT-nHV8dUQ9MvYKio4Xiug/edit?usp=sharing

Music Credits:
Afghanistan’s a Big Place (MGSV) – Ludvig Forssell
Big Boss Returns (MGSV) – Harry Gregson-Williams
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare main theme – Sarah Schachner
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II main theme – Sarah Schachner
Chris’s Arrival (RE5) – Kota Suzuki
Ghost Stories (COD Ghosts) – David Buckley
Quiet’s theme (MGSV) – Akihiro Honda
Remember Kabul, John (Spec Ops: The Line) – Elia Cmira
Sahelanthropus Dominion (MGSV) – Justin Burnett
The Delta (Apocalypse Now) – Carmine Coppolla
The Code Talker (MGSV) – Ludvig Forssell
The Line Ending 1 (Spec Ops: The Line) – Elia Cmira
The Star-Spangled Banner – Jimi Hendrix

Resources:
Fonts: Poppins
Artwork: Fiona Marchbank @FionaCreates
Media Logos: Wikimedia Commons