Empathy

This chapter studies the videogames Darfur is Dying, E.T., and Hush, and the ability of videogames to put the player in someone else’s shoes. Darfur is Dying and E.T. emphasize the role-playing property of videogames, while Hush emphasizes the world-building property, suggesting a vivid, realistic environment. Players and developers have used the failure of E.T. as an excuse to accept only roles of power, and never those of weakness. The chapter concludes that in the world today, it is the vulnerable that deserve empathy.