Prison Tycoon: Depictions of Incarceration and Carceral Stereotypes in Video Games

• In Event: Consuming Carcerality as Entertainment: Critical Perspectives and Opportunities to Practice Hope and Resistance

Abstract

Depictions of carcerality and the use of carceral spaces for entertainment purposes are found in diverse forms of media and popular culture, including video games. In addition to using prisons and jails as settings within video games, there are numerous examples of games where people play as wardens, correctional officers, and imprisoned people. We present preliminary findings from content analysis of simulation and management-style video games that require players to assume carceral roles or oversee correctional operations. Specifically, we use abolitionist frameworks to examine how these games promote or challenge carceral logic and carceral stereotypes in their depictions of imprisoned people, carceral environments, and conditions of confinement. We discuss our findings within the broader context of the ways carceral spaces and experiences are exploited for entertainment and profit and the social consequences of consuming carcerality.

Authors

• Ashley Kilmer, Towson University

• Hayley Jackey, Old Dominion University