Video Games Have Never Been Woke

After 2011 there was a major shift in how symbolic economy professionals thought about, talked about, and pursued “social justice.” As I demonstrate at length in my forthcoming book, these changes were visible along many different dimensions — cutting across the symbolic industries — and were largely exclusive to symbolic capitalists and the institutions we dominate (giving rise to a growing divide between “us” and everyone else). 

One of the first places these changes (and tensions ‘about’ these shifts) became evident was the gaming industry.

This is, in part, because despite that fact that the professions associated with the gaming industry (such as graphic designers, creative directors, writers, software engineers and IT professionals) are overwhelmingly aligned with the Democratic Party, the gaming public is not.

In fact, by some measures at the time, gamers were evenly torn between the two major parties, and a plurality of gamers self-identified as “conservative.” The picture has not changed dramatically in more contemporary data: gamers are more likely to identify as Republican (and less likely to identify as Democrat) than American adults overall — and they remain roughly split between the major two parties (within the margin of error).

Nonetheless, after 2011, game critics and reviewers grew more focused on cultural and political issues, emphasizing progressive cultural themes. Sometimes they focused on elements like representation or the social message games more than the actual gameplay. Gaming forums followed suit. And gaming companies began responding to these social pressure campaigns.

For example, despite evidence at the time that games with female leads didn’t sell as well as games with exclusively male protagonists, companies began increasing gender representation. And in 2013, they had a breakthrough year for female protagonists with games like The Last of Us, Tomb Raider, and Beyond: Two Souls enjoying strong critical and commercial success.

The following year would be roiled by a culture war within the industry and its fandom, now known as #Gamergate. Purportedly annoyed by the growing overt left politicization of games and gaming culture, and expanding norms of ‘political correctness’ accompanying these shifts, a largely leaderless (and surprisingly diverse) movement emerged mocking, critiquing and defying the moralization of the gaming industry -- and doxing and harassing many of the people perceived to be leading the moralization campaign.

In vain.

In 2012, industry analyst firm EEDAR (now acquired by NPD Group) analyzed games released ...