War/Play ― Video Games and the Militarization of Society

Education researcher Martino critically examines the part that video games play in the lives of young people and the impact these games have had on the evolution of youth culture and the broader society. Military video games such as Call of Duty aid in the process of militarizing society, he says and as a consequence, assist in establishing new forms of culture and an emergent political form. He analyzes and critiques what he calls ludic military habitus, the manner in which the habits and social interactions of young people, particularly boys and young men, have been reconfigured through a form of pedagogy embedded within military-themed or military-oriented video games. Annotation c2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)

John Martino (PhD, BA, DipEd) holds the position of Senior Lecturer in the College of Education at Victoria University, where he also lectures in media studies and the sociology of education. He has published in the fields of political sociology, critical media studies, and in education.