The Influence of Video Games

Video games are often criticized as mindless entertainment. However, video games often deal with serious issues, both topical and timeless, just as other forms of literature do. But can video games make people think? Can they get people to look at issues in a new way? Can they influence the people who play them the way that texts influence the people who read them?

Deus Ex: Human Revolution deals with the issue of cybernetic augmentation of human beings, an issue that carries ever more real-world significance. A large portion of the game’s plot centers around the conflict over this issue; in the game, there are two sides to the debate, and they clash in many different ways. On one side are the people who believe that mechanical augmentation is bad for humans and should be banned, or at least heavily regulated (these people are derisively referred to as “purists” by the pro-augmentation side). And on the other side are people who support augmentation and believe it will lead to the betterment of humanity; one of these people is David Sarif, who was discussed in the last post.

So, given that so much of the game’s plot centers around the conflict between the opposing sides of the augmentation debate, did the game cause its players to think about this issue and the debate surrounding it? A look at the official Steam forum for the game suggests that it did, at least for some. Shortly after the game came out, a user on the forum wrote a post titled “Would you be willing to have a chip in your head?” This is a reference to the fact that the game’s main character, Adam Jensen, has a computer chip connected to his brain that allows him to control his cybernetic augmentations, allows him to communicate with his employers, and performs various other functions. The poster, who goes by the handle “esperanzo,” framed his question in such a way as to suggest that he wanted to know if the game influenced people’s attitudes toward cybernetic augmentation:

Now that you've played Deus Ex, would you ever be willing to have a chip installed in your head? For whatever reasons?

Not all of the replies to this question were serious, but several of them were. The serious responses came down on both sides of the issue; some said they would be willing to have a chip implanted if it would benefit them in some way (though most were also concerned about potential problems it might cause), while others were very emphatically against the idea. But what is most interesting is that some of the respondents referenced the game, in a way that suggested it had influenced their thinking on the issue. For example, a poster by the name of DrHojo123 wrote

Yes purely because i agree with David Sarif i think it would be the next step of evolution

This person cites the position of David Sarif, a character from the game, in his response. He states that he “agrees” with Sarif with respect to the merits of cybernetic augmentation. This suggests that the game, and the character and arguments of Sarif in particular, influenced his attitude toward augmentation.

Another reply to this question, by a poster named d1m, also references Sarif:

I would, but only by companies like Sarif Industries, to be honest. When in Tai Yung (ed. note: Tai Yong Medical is a rival biotech company that the player investigates during the game), you discover things like blatant disregard for safety, lack of testing, not using proper materials... all for cheaper cost. I simply wouldn't want that principle in my body. Putting aside the fact that the Trojan horse chip was developed only because of them...

d1m sees Sarif as someone who he believes he can trust; he sees Sarif’s company as a company he would allow to “augment” him. This is particularly interesting in light of the fact that at the end of the game, Sarif suggests deception as a method for resolving a problem (see the last post). This obviously was not enough to tarnish the company’s reputation for d1m, and his use of Sarif Industries as an example of a “good” biotech company suggests that the game had at least some degree of influence over his attitude toward augmentation.

Another interesting pair of responses came from d1m and another user named martinson. First, martinson writes

Better question: would you allow a chip to be implanted, knowing said chip was created, programmed, implanted and maintained by a corporation or group of corporations whose primary objective is present and future profit?

This echoes a suspicion that Adam Jensen has about Sarif at one point in the game; namely, that he only cares about his company’s profits (again, see the last post). Addressing this concern, d1m replies

The company I went to for eye surgery does this for profit. So what?

I do my work for money too. Not the only reason, but it sure gives more motivation. It doesn't mean I do my job without integrity. Rather, if someone pays me, I take it upon my best ability to provide best value and quality.

Although these comments do not directly reference the game, they do bring up points that are covered in the game when the ethics of augmentation technology are discussed. In the context of this discussion, the game is highly relevant.

In this discussion, a question was posed that relates to the game and its main character, and replies were made that both directly referenced another character in the game, as well as concerns raised within the game about biotechnology. This suggests that the game has at least some role in shaping the thinking of its players regarding the issue it deals with. The game is exercising influence over its players, and so it deserves to be compared to other literary genres that act upon their audiences in the same way.