Videogames in France and Francophone Belgium: discourses and cultural legitimation

Abstract

Since their first appearance in the early 1960s, videogames have become one of the most popular forms of entertainment in France and Francophone Belgium. As with other cultural industries, recent decades have seen the emergence of multiple discourses around videogames, whether from the media, the public sphere, or the private sphere. From the themes of violence and addiction, to the perception of videogame as a cultural object, this article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of game-related discourses and representations (and their recent evolution) in Francophone Europe.