Description
Grief, joy and excitement, fear and trauma, and boredom are emotions which are increasingly seen as vital to our understanding of contemporary power and world politics. On the surface, videogames may seem an unlikely place to seek understanding of the complex intersection between feelings, empathy and war? These are difficult issues for students and tutors to engage with in our IR teaching and studies. With ever fewer of us having direct connection to the military, millions now 'actively participate’ through playing military combat games. These encounters with war occur through the processes, narratives, visuals and sounds within military videogames. Reflecting through the literature on aesthetics, emotions and empathy, alongside Michael Shapiro’s aesthetic subject allows for an exploration of what we 'learn' or 'feel' from playing military games. The paper explores the role of military games as productive sites for engendering reflection and learning in relation to the variety of emotions experienced within war. Cumulatively the paper reflects on the impact of these contrasting aesthetic experiences of war for players – they are much more than 'just a game'!
