Blog Assignment Week 10

In this week’s lecture we discussed the concept of the “symbolic

universe” as a cultural “structure of legitimation” capable of

organizing the social world as comprehensible and connected.

The structure of the symbolic universe then, places the

individual in a known and knowable space. Such social

structures are critical for societies in transition. Can you identify

the creation of any “symbolic universe” today (or in recent

years)? How might media and design be implicated in the

construction of these social universes today?

Symbolic universes help societies discover their place in the world by creating a fictional universe that people can relate to.

There is a craze for war-based video games. In the early 00's war games would be all about world war II. Games such as Call of Duty and Medal of Honour put players in the war fighting to save their countries. This helped give context to what it would be like to be in the war.

More recently the games have been focused on modern warfare, especially in the middle east. These games give great fictional universes where people can partake in the war, without being in danger itself. This allows people to learn about the war, and what is going on in the world around them, whilst having fun. This is helpful as it gives a new perspective to the war that was not seen during the early 00's.

Recently, as in last month, a Brisbane based studio called Defiant Development has released the first footage for their new game Warco. This game is again focused in the modern war, however you are not a soldier. You are a war correspondent. Being marketed as a war game with guns replaced by cameras, this game helps players grasp the world of the war correspondent. We are all able to watch the news and see what is happening in the war, but most of us forget, or don't worry about the person behind the camera.

The best part about this game is the way it has been designed. The focus being less on the action and firefights of the war but about the politics and documentary of the war. This has never been achieved in any of the previous combat-based games. This change of perspective allows players to experience the world of warfare in a completely new way.