Gramsci and Games

Abstract

The objective of this article is to highlight the relevance ideological debate plays in the study of popular culture texts and in particular in that of video games. Every text is a reflection of the ideological forces (cultural, economic, social, individual, etc.) generating it. Thus, ideology is essentially an omnipresent entity, which knows no boundaries of class, race, or cultural background. As a matter of fact, games are capable of reflecting ideological stances in a variety of ways. Throughout the first part of this article, we will revisit ideology from a Marxist perspective, that is, as a form of deception, manipulation, and enslavement and subsequently by moving away from such a deterministic/fatalistic approach and discussing it in the light of Gramsci’s theory of hegemony. By providing practical examples, this article will attempt to show how both ideological and hegemonic processes operate in the video game medium.