Description
Book SynopsisWith the rise of drones and computer-controlled weapons, the line between war and video games has blurred. The Military-Entertainment Complex traces how the realities of war are inflected by their representation in entertainment. War games, in turn, feature an increasing number of weapons, tactics, and scenarios from the War on Terror.
Trade ReviewLocked and loaded, this astonishing account of the ‘military-entertainment complex’ exposes the links between military technologies and popular media, the alignments and affinities among defense agencies, video game companies, and Hollywood studios. With tactical precision, Tim Lenoir and Luke Caldwell show how the militarization of contemporary society is driven less by political interests than by economic interests, revealing the ways in which the entertainment industry and its commercial practices shape the imagination of postmodern warfare. This is a provocative, high-octane book about the war games of everyday life and the future of digital culture. Epic pwn. -- Colin Milburn, University of California, Davis
While the term ‘military-entertainment complex’ conjures images of dystopian collusion, what Lenoir and Caldwell uncover is far more disturbing: collusion is unnecessary. By avoiding authenticity in favor of adrenaline, billion-dollar video game franchises, such as
Call of Duty and
Medal of Honor, do more to create a cultural acceptance of war than military PR could ever hope to achieve. Games have not been co-opted by the military, but rather the opposite. Civilians have transformed war into a consumer product, reducing its emotional resonance to that of a theme park ride, all in service of reaching a larger audience. -- Walt Williams, Lead Writer,
Spec Ops: The Line
