Push-button warfare: How artists use games to capture drone strike horror

Enlarge / "Cowardly Drones," a piece by Jospeh Delappe, is a bit more direct about its message than some of his more interactive work.

In 1983, President Reagan gave a speech about the role of computers in military preparation and recruiting that seems more relevant than ever nearly 40 years later.

In it, he noted the "incredible hand, eye, and brain coordination" many young people were developing by playing video games, and said the "Air Force believes these [game-playing] kids will be outstanding pilots should they fly our jets." Reagan also pointed out that the "computerized radar screen in the cockpit is not unlike the computerized video screen," and that if you "watch a 12-year-old take evasive action and score multiple hits while playing Space Invaders" you will appreciate the skills of tomorrow's pilot."

What Reagan didn't know was that some of those kids-turned-pilots would grow up never needing to take evasive action. That is because they'd be flying deadly drone warplanes remotely over villages half a world away. "Right now you're being prepared for tomorrow in many ways, and in ways that many of us who are older cannot fully comprehend," Reagan said at the conclusion of his speech.

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