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Playful Encounters: Games for Geopolitical Change
Bos, Daniel
Bos, Daniel
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2021-12-07
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Abstract
Bringing together literatures on play, (video) games, and alter- (native) geopolitics this paper explores how digital games offer
playful encounters that challenge popular understandings of geopolitics. While geographical scholarship has exposed the ways video games promote geopolitical and militaristic cultures, this paper concentrates on the disruptive qualities of play. More
specifically, the paper focuses on This War of Mine (2014), a game which fosters playful encounters that encourage the player to reflect on the everyday consequences of conflict in urban spaces and their civilian populations. Drawing on an analysis of player reviews of the game, this paper demonstrates how play shapes imaginaries of the geopolitical context(s) of urban conflict and stimulates players to reflect on their attitudes towards violence. In doing so, the paper critically demonstrates how digital games offer important cultural outlets in encountering alternative understandings of geopolitics.
Citation
Bos, D. (2023). Playful encounters: Games for geopolitical change. Geopolitics, 28(3), 1210-1234. https://doi.org/10.1080/14650045.2021.2002846
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
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Geopolitics
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DOI
10.1080/14650045.2021.2002846
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Article
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ISSN
1465-0045
EISSN
1557-3028