Moral Panic Button

There is a button society keeps pressing like a nervous reflex. It is not made of plastic or metal. It’s made of language and fear. Whenever a medium crosses the threshold from niche to mainstream, a social fervor seems to break out, sparking outrage and congressional concern. Then people start screaming, “Video games are corrupting the children!”

This is the life cycle of a moral panic, and video games have lived under its crosshairs for decades. While these panics have often ostracized those who love the medium, they have also been a catalyst for change. To better understand the modern gaming industry, we should examine the fingerprints left behind every time society presses that button.

Space Invaders