The video game industry as an object and method for the development of modern culture

Abstract

This paper reveals the specifics and role of video games and the video game industry as a tool for the development of modern culture, using historical, cultural, comparative, analytical and phenomenological methods. The special features of the formation of the video game industry are investigated with an analysis of the social, cultural and historical conditions that influenced it. Video games, having become a cultural layer of mankind, develop in extremely versatile (literary, musical, cinematographic, philosophical, psychological and technological) spheres, but a distinctive feature of modern products of the video game industry is a close connection with rapidly developing social ideas. International communities have been making a selection of video games of the greatest value for future generations for quite a long time. The very development of scientific and social movements is reflected in this cultural sphere, where they meet themselves in various genres, for example, in simulators aimed at developing professional skills. As an example, the authors analyze the development of the video game industry, as well as its separate, but inextricably linked direction, known as cybersport in the territory of the CIS countries, in particular in Russia. Along with the development of this cultural current, technologies are also progressing, which aim to reflect the widest range of different thoughts and conclusions in the best quality for the player. The author suggests that the further development of computer technology will be able to cause a feeling of deeper immersion in the atmosphere of a video game, with the synchronization of emotional experiences and thought processes. To some extent, the first steps in this area are already being taken, but they are at an early stage of their progress and can only provide access to a deeper integration process into virtual reality through visual and control-manipulative actions. In addition to all of the above, the article touches upon historical and social problems in the interaction between society and video games, and the video game is considered as the best tool presented by the video game industry in dealing with stress during a pandemic.