Résumé
Très tôt dans son histoire, le média « jeu vidéo » fut traversé par de multiples controverses. Dans
la francophonie, les travaux ont jusqu’ici porté sur des controverses comprises souvent comme
des thématiques spécifiques. Le présent article produit une analyse longitudinale des situations
liées aux milieux du jeu vidéo et jugées suffisamment « problématiques » pour qu’elles soient
médiatisées par une couverture journalistique, de la première polémique autour du contenu du
jeu Death Race (Exidy, 1976) aux affaires d’environnement de travail toxique qui secouent les
studios AAA Ubisoft en 2020 et Activision-Blizzard-King en 2021. Premièrement, l’article précise
ce que recouvre le terme de « controverse vidéoludique » qui s’applique aux presque 300
occurrences recensées sur les 50 dernières années, et comment certaines de ces situations
participent à la circulation de certaines controverses dans le temps. Deuxièmement, il s’intéresse
au « bruit » que ces situations génèrent et comment différents publics en font l’expérience. Il en
ressort que les controverses font désormais partie des contextes de production et de jeu, raison pour laquelle il est nécessaire de s’y intéresser, non pas comme des événements singuliers, mais en tant que processus permanents faisant partie du contexte socioculturel dans lequel les jeux vidéo sont créés et pratiqués.
Since their creation, video games seem to cause multiple controversies. In the French-speaking world, researches have mostly focused on controversies understood as specific topics. This article provides a longitudinal analysis of situations related to the video game industry and deemed sufficiently “problematic” to be covered by the media, from the first controversy surrounding the content of the game Death Race (Exidy, 1976) to the toxic work environment cases that have shaken triple A studios such as Ubisoft in 2020 and Activision-Blizzard-King in 2021. First, the article clarifies what is meant by the term “videogame controversy” as it applies to the nearly 300 occurrences recorded over the past 50 years, and how some of these situations participate in the circulation of certain controversies over time. Second, it looks at the “noise” that these situations generate and how different audiences experience them. The result is that controversies have become part of the contexts of production and play, which is why it is necessary to look at them not as singular events but as permanent processes that are part of the socio-cultural context in which video games are created and played.
Since their creation, video games seem to cause multiple controversies. In the French-speaking world, researches have mostly focused on controversies understood as specific topics. This article provides a longitudinal analysis of situations related to the video game industry and deemed sufficiently “problematic” to be covered by the media, from the first controversy surrounding the content of the game Death Race (Exidy, 1976) to the toxic work environment cases that have shaken triple A studios such as Ubisoft in 2020 and Activision-Blizzard-King in 2021. First, the article clarifies what is meant by the term “videogame controversy” as it applies to the nearly 300 occurrences recorded over the past 50 years, and how some of these situations participate in the circulation of certain controversies over time. Second, it looks at the “noise” that these situations generate and how different audiences experience them. The result is that controversies have become part of the contexts of production and play, which is why it is necessary to look at them not as singular events but as permanent processes that are part of the socio-cultural context in which video games are created and played.