“Serious games”: mobile apps and "philosophy for everyone"

The paper discusses the phenomenon of the so-called serious games, i.e. computer applications presented on major platforms of the App Store and Google Play and specializing in philosophical content. The relevance of this topic is dictated, on the one hand, by the undeniable fact that the development of technology has undoubtedly affected the educational process; as a result, a lot of educational games and programs were published, which, in modern realities, cannot be ignored due to the fact that they are firmly rooted in the Internet community, especially among schoolchildren and students. On the other hand, we are faced with a problem due to the question of the necessity and expediency of using such programs among students, because, as is known, the wider range is the more difficult to choose the most suitable option. In addition, there is competition between the classical sources of information (such as books, educational films) and serious games industry, where it is quite difficult, weighing their advantages and disadvantages, to determine the priority. The study is an attempt to analyze the integration of modern serious games in a philosophical environment with subsequent use for educational and research purposes. The authors attempt to answer the question that emerged from the bowels of the enlightenment, the reception of which, on the eve the fourth industrial revolution, will probably sound like this: «Do digital technologies contribute to the general “wisdom” of mankind?». Turning to such a narrow phenomenon as «serious games», the authors demonstrate a socio-philosophical perspective that confronts society and education in the form of the «Philosophy for Everyone» dilemma. The ultimate goal of this study is to build a socio-philosophical reflection on the role of «serious games» in modern realities. It is concluded that the «utilitarian value» of «smart technologies» is essential and useful for education, but another thing is also noted: the beneficial effect will be the opposite if the technology monopolizes the entire education market. Methodology used in the study is based on the principles and methods of socio-philosophical analysis, projected mainly on the role of technical evolution of communications in the translation and philosophical knowledge acquisition.