Episode 37 - The Problem with Meritocracy in Video Games (with Chris Paul)
A meritocratic system is one whose “winners” are those who earn their positions through greatest talent and hard work. That sounds like a good system – a fair one! And video games seem to be a fantastic place for meritocracy to be actualized – a place where, unlike the real world, everyone competes on a level playing field regardless of class, race, sex, etc. But, as our guest, Seattle University’s Chris Paul, tells us, we need to be aware of the limits of meritocracy and how it can also lead to toxic game cultures.
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Our guest, Dr. Chris Paul, is a Professor in the Communication and Media Department at Seattle University. He’s published four books, including The Toxic Meritocracy of Video Games: Why Gaming Culture is the Worst and most recently Free-to-Play: Mobile Video Games, Bias, and Norms.
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Hosted by Shlomo Sher, Ph.D. and Andy Ashcraft
Production by Carmen Elena Mitchell
Music and graphics by Daniel Sher
