TY - CHAP
T1 - Cynicism in Police Simulation
T2 - A Case Study of Beat Cop
AU - Popham, James
AU - Corradi, Andrea
AU - Ouellet, Michael
AU - Pal, Sarthak
AU - McDiarmid, Chris
AU - Booton, Jocelyn
AU - Goodridge, Michelle
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 selection and editorial matter, Kevin F. Steinmetz and Jonathan A. Grubb.
PY - 2024/9/9
Y1 - 2024/9/9
N2 - Modern video games employ a number of mechanisms that are intended to draw players into the narrative and immerse them in the game, while simultaneously presenting commentary about the police. Our chapter assesses how these mechanisms are presented in a contemporary policing simulator called Beat Cop and examines the immersive representation of policing. Our study employs an ethnographic content analysis approach (Steinmetz, 2018) analyzing the dialog, plot, mechanisms, and activities that make up the majority of Beat Cop’s gameplay. Our findings suggest that the game is highly cynical toward police and their positioning within society, and that this cynicism is not bolstered by any critical or foundational concepts. Rather, Beat Cop reifies populist frames of the police and policing, with particular focus on the “cop” frame suggested by Surrette (2015). We conclude with a critical discussion about the potential sources for this cynicism.
AB - Modern video games employ a number of mechanisms that are intended to draw players into the narrative and immerse them in the game, while simultaneously presenting commentary about the police. Our chapter assesses how these mechanisms are presented in a contemporary policing simulator called Beat Cop and examines the immersive representation of policing. Our study employs an ethnographic content analysis approach (Steinmetz, 2018) analyzing the dialog, plot, mechanisms, and activities that make up the majority of Beat Cop’s gameplay. Our findings suggest that the game is highly cynical toward police and their positioning within society, and that this cynicism is not bolstered by any critical or foundational concepts. Rather, Beat Cop reifies populist frames of the police and policing, with particular focus on the “cop” frame suggested by Surrette (2015). We conclude with a critical discussion about the potential sources for this cynicism.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85209871023&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.4324/9781003346869-10
DO - 10.4324/9781003346869-10
M3 - Chapter
AN - SCOPUS:85209871023
SN - 9781032388090
SN - 9781032388038
T3 - Video Games, Crime, and Control
SP - 156
EP - 176
BT - Video Games, Crime, and Control
PB - Taylor and Francis
ER -