Moral Panics. Von »Brandbriefen« und »Totschlägern«

Alongside their material dimensions, video game arcades were simultaneously metaphysical spaces where participants negotiated social and cultural convention, thus contributing to identity formation and performance within game culture. While physical arcade spaces have receded in number, the metaphysical elements of the arcades persist. We examine the historical conditions around the establishment of so-called arcade culture, taking into account the history of public entertainment spaces, such as pool halls, coin-operated entertainment technologies, video games, and the demographic and economic conditions during the arcade’s peak popularity, which are historically connected to the advent of bachelor subculture. Drawing on these complementary histories, we examine the social and historical movement of arcades and arcade culture, focusing upon the Street Fighter series and the fighting game community (FGC). Through this case study, we argue that moral panics concerning arcades, processes of cultural norm selection, technological shifts, and the demographic peculiarities of arcade culture all contributed to its current decline and discuss how they affect the contemporary FGC.

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Another look at moral panics: The case of satanic day care centers

Deviant Behavior ◽

10.1080/01639625.1998.9968088 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 257-278 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Mary deYoung

Keyword(s):

Day Care ◽

Moral Panics ◽

Day Care Centers

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The Active Aging Agenda, Old Folk Devils and a New Moral Panic

Sociology of Sport Journal ◽

10.1123/ssj.28.2.209 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 209-225 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Elizabeth C.J. Pike

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older People ◽

Older Persons ◽

Later Life ◽

Conclusive Evidence ◽

Social Benefits ◽

Active Aging ◽

Moral Panics ◽

International Policy ◽

Policy Agendas

The proposal that older people should engage in “active aging” has come to dominate local, national, and international policy agendas. This encompasses a variety of ways that older persons might maintain active citizenship, but invariably promotes physical activity and exercise as having health and social benefits, despite a lack of conclusive evidence to support such claims. In this paper, I further examine the meaning of these claims through an analysis of policy documents, reports, and media articles which promote the perceived benefits of physical activity in later life. I revisit Cohen’s (2002) concepts of folk devils and moral panics to understand how these messages simultaneously problematize older people while creating a market for emergent moral entrepreneurs who claim to have the solution to the problem they have in part created. I conclude with recommendations for improved understanding of the benefits and appropriate provision for active aging.

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