Making public policy fun: How political aspects and policy issues are found in video games

Abstract

The study of video games can be fun, and it is interesting to see what players can explore inside video games. This paper explores public policy practice and its political content or aspects in video games. The very idea itself may sound vague and unclear; can such a thing be found inside a mere video game? To strengthen the argument of what kind of political aspects can be found in video games, the authors use a comparative case study, comparing two games: Animal Crossing: New Horizon and Genshin Impact. By comparing the two games, this paper forms an understanding of how political aspects are found inside each game and their influence on affairs and issues in certain countries. The result of this research shows that video games have become an election-winning strategic political marketing and communication policy. Video games have also used procedural rhetoric, which reveals how game producers promote certain ideologies through legislation and rules in their games.