Video Games: The Global Battleground of Modern Politics
Episode description
In this Conflicted Conversation, George Osborn draws on his excellent new book Power Play: Video Games, Politics and the Battle for Global Influence to reveal the hidden political power of video games.
Once dismissed as a niche hobby, gaming has become one of the largest social environments ever created: a vast digital third space where billions of people form identities, build communities, and increasingly encounter politics — often aligned with authoritarian agendas.
George explains:
- The history of video games: from arcades to global digital networks
- How gaming helped drive the modern technology revolution
- Why video games became the ‘third spaces’ of the internet age
- Steam, online gaming, and the rise of digital communities
- How China controls and regulates gaming culture
- Saudi Arabia's investment strategy in gaming and esports
- Russia, information warfare, and influence operations in gaming
- Gamergate and the politicisation of gaming communities
- Steve Bannon, online culture, and the rise of populist politics
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Conflicted is a Message Heard production.
Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren.
Produced and edited by Thomas Small.
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