Time to Read: 4 minutes
Every gamertag has a story.
Every content creator, a reason why they are doing what they are doing.
There have been a number of attempts at a website in my past. Each of them, never quite getting this far, but them sharing a common goal: Taking a longer look.
Video games aren't often tasked with examining difficult subject matter. There are many mediums like film, journalism, novels, etc that are better suited to tackle subjects like modernity, social equality, discrimination, depression...but that doesn't mean that video games can't or that they shouldn't.
As gaming has matured as a media platform (and as it will continue to mature), I argue that so should its ability to tackle substantive subject matter. And while there should always be games that are simply fun - game developers should have the ability to create stories, worlds, etc that explore difficult subject matter.
Similar to other mediums, like movies or books, it's only after they've grown that they can begin to tackle these difficult topics. It likely takes even more time after that for people to accept this new media should be looked at to do that.
I believe we're reaching a tipping point where we can begin to accept that gaming can do this. Video-games aren't only for "escapism".
Game developers should have the autonomy to explore difficult subjects like political injustice, social dilemmas, depression, etc. While I love AAA games like Assassin's Creed Valhalla or Destiny 2, I'm equally interested in games like GRIS, Florence, Life Is Strange, and Gone Home.
For me, as I begin Aut0noMy.com, I'm interested in starting to pull these conversations out of the games I play. Trying to find a deeper story or subject matter behind that game being played. Not every post will be "super deep" and this absolutely is not a political website, but my hope is to create a space where these 'longer looks' at a gaming, can live.
Wait, but why the name "Aut0noMy"?
The name was picked way back in college. I was deep into political and post-modern theory, studying the spectrum on different opinions out there. Idealistically, I was attempting to piece together the "best" systems of thought. It was during a period in time where US politics were suffocated by the shadow of the US Patriot Act and digital communications were rapidly accelerating as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all grew.
In context to it all, I arrived autonomy because I wanted it to serve as a reminder try to be as self-governing as possible.
Truth was becoming increasingly more subjective. We as a culture were turning to our siloed social platforms and digital talking heads. My hope was to maintain an objective morality to combat the waves and waves of ads, notifications, social media trends, and political posturing.
I was also playing a lot of Mass Effect 2 at the time, which focused heavily on paragon vs renegade decision-making.
Hence, when I needed to make a new Gamertag, Aut0noMy felt right.
With gaming, it's easy to turn off our consciousness and distract ourselves - to let escapism be the only channel we tune into. And while gaming absolutely should be a place to have fun or escape the stress we all carry in our day-to-day lives, I don't believe it should only be that.
We can't simply turn off the problems in our real lives or in society. Like film or novels, gaming can present environments or stories that help us critically engage with these difficult subject matters. We can interact with them, think about the cause and effect of our decisions, and walk away from that being able to reflect on it.
We can take that reflection and carry in into our real lives.
Looking ahead, my hope is that Aut0noMy.com can blend my interest in gaming, culture, and writing with some of the thought that sits behind the gamertag. What you'll find is an attempt to pull those stories and conversations from the games I play, weaving them into the articles, reviews, and hopefully interviews that come from this starting point.