>a drone operator will push a button, kill a dozen people, and feel like it was a videogame
This might depend on the context. RadioLab recently did a podcast titled "Toy Soldiers." Using low-flying "toy" drones rather than the high-flying "predator" drones, they make the case that drone operators get an oddly intimate portrait of their enemies. They go into how they reference them by their attire ("the 'red shoe' guy”) and witness on an up-close and personal level how they grieve over their comrades.
This might depend on the context. RadioLab recently did a podcast titled "Toy Soldiers." Using low-flying "toy" drones rather than the high-flying "predator" drones, they make the case that drone operators get an oddly intimate portrait of their enemies. They go into how they reference them by their attire ("the 'red shoe' guy”) and witness on an up-close and personal level how they grieve over their comrades.