‘Killer Games’ versus ‘We Will Fund Violence’- The Perception of Digital Games and Mass Media in Germany and Australia

Summary: The differences in the perception of digital games in Germany and Australian are distinct. While their assessment in Germany is dominated by a pessimistic Kulturkritik tenor which regards them as an 'illegitimate' activity, in Australia they are enjoyed by a wide demographic as a 'legitimate' pastime. The presentation deals with the reasons behind these differences. It analyses the social history of digital gaming in both countries and relates it to their socio-cultural traditions and their effects on modes of distinction. Germany, as a European Kulturnation, has a different history and different foundational dynamics than Australia, a New-World society built on premises which consciously distanced themselves from their Old-World heritage. Foundational dynamics signify the socio-cultural and historical forces which shaped a distinct national conscience and dominant identity constructions during the countries' founding phase. Naturally, these constructions did not stay without an impact on the perception of different kinds of aesthetics. Closely related to the perception of culture was the issue of distinction, the cultural demarcation between social groups: By a conspicuous refusal of other tastes, a class tries to depict its own lifestyle as something superior. A country like Germany, whose national self-conception was closely related to groups which perpetuated an idealistic notion of Kultur and later integrated it into a rigid class system, exhibited a different form of distinction as Australia, a 'society of common men'. The presentation aims demonstrates how forms of distinction, shaped by different foundational dynamics, asserted themselves regarding the perception of mass culture to the point where digital games were the latest medium to be surrounded by established patterns of criticism and enthusiasm.