Heroism, vulnerability and care in civilian-focused wargames

Abstract

Focusing on Liyla and the Shadows of War, Bury Me, My Love and This War of Mine through gender studies, platform studies, affect studies and theories of care, the article offers a comparative close reading analysis of the three games with an emphasis on time management, platform and affect, arguing that these games conceptualize a shift from heroism to care based on their temporality and by creating an affect of vulnerability. Liyla enacts the urgency made palpable by war, forcing the player character to abandon the time-consuming task of care. Bury Me, My Love systematically precludes heroic narratives, outlining instead a caring masculinity that relies on the affective time management of the mobile phone. Finally, the game mechanics of This War of Mine combine the time of heroism and caring – provided that the latter is an essential prerequisite for the former. The article concludes that these diegetic care templates may make players really care.