This week, Inspired by Daniel Johnson's article about games and culture,we wade in to the fascinating-yet-nebulous realm of culture in videogames.  After a brief discussion of how to define the term, we thinkabout the cultural influences found in video games.  Whether it is agame's content, the way it was produced, or its capacity to illustratethe societies in which it exists, games carry meaning about everyoneinvolved in the process.  As this site is largely about examining theculture that both flows through and emanates from games, we foundplenty to talk about in this article.  We hope to hear your thoughts inthe comments!

Some discussion starters:

- What games haveyou found particularly interesting in terms of the way they representeda specific culture (either positively or negatively)?  Who is mostqualified to handle cultural topics in video games?
- When does aculture become stifling?  How do development techniques, businesspractices, social mores, and player expectation impact this?
- Whatdo video games say about our current societies?  What games from thepast do you find particularly illustrative of cultural zeitgeists?

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Show Notes:

- Run time: 28 min 50 sec
- Daniel Johnson's Article, via GameSetWatch: "'Lingua Franca' – The Place Of Games In Culture"
- Music provided by Brad Sucks