Can Video Games Make You a Better Man?
If the mainstream media isn’t bashing video games, they’re ignoring them entirely. In doing so they’ve missed one of the most powerful forces shaping the moral imagination of today’s youth. (Still from season 2 of The Last of Us via HBO)
The success of ‘The Last of Us’ and ‘The Witcher 3’ points to a deeper yearning: that the ultimate male fantasy isn’t conquest, but connection.
On Sunday, season 2 of The Last of Us—based on the 2013 video game of the same name—premieres on HBO. The first season was a smash hit, earning HBO eight Emmys and some of its highest viewership numbers in decades. That show is part of an explosion of video-game-to-screen adaptations: The Witcher, Resident Evil, Assassin’s Creed, and Mass Effect are just some of the recent or upcoming shows Hollywood has in the works.
But the word “gamer” still seems to conjure the worst kind of man-child dwelling in mom’s basement—a nightmare creature caked in Cheetos dust.
You see it everywhere, from online posts dunking on men who “waste their time” playing "insanely stupid and meaningless” games to punchlines about boyfriends glued to PS5s.
Maintaining The Free Press is Expensive!
To support independent journalism, and unlock all of our investigative stories and provocative commentary about the world as it actually is, subscribe below.
Subscriber Benefits:
Full access to all articles, investigations and columns
Access to the comments section on every piece we publish
Weekly columns from Nellie Bowles, Douglas Murray, and Bari Weiss
First chance to purchase tickets for live Free Press events
Already have an account?
Sign In