Today, mainland China makes up a large part of the videogame industry, with successful titles not only catering the Chinese gaming audience, the largest in the world, but also gaining international...Show moreToday, mainland China makes up a large part of the videogame industry, with successful titles not only catering the Chinese gaming audience, the largest in the world, but also gaining international popularity (Yong and Downing 2008, 515–29). However, former research has shown that inequal gender dynamics in the videogame industry lead to a predominantly male environment, that portrays women in sexist stereotypes (Vysotsky and Allaway 2018, 101). Chinese videogames are no exception to this; in a South China Morning Post (SCMP) interview with a female game concept artist based in Chengdu, there was a strong belief there is “a tacit agreement that female characters in games are supposed to be ‘pretty’ and ‘sexy’ (Shen 2020).” For instance, when designing a new character, the instructions read: “It needs to give people an urge to masturbate (Shen 2020).” This research aims to find the link between gender representations in videogames and traditional Chinese cultural values, comparing and analysing mainland Chinese, Taiwanese, and Chinese diaspora games, which are Chinese games made in a different environment than the homeland. The choice for analysing both mainland Chinese, Taiwanese and diaspora games, based on the respective differences between both societies which makes a comparison possible, requires an explanation that has historical roots.Show less
This paper examines the way three games embody different trends in the cultural memory of the Vietnam war. It concludes that games offer a unique reflection of the cultural memory by asking players...Show moreThis paper examines the way three games embody different trends in the cultural memory of the Vietnam war. It concludes that games offer a unique reflection of the cultural memory by asking players to adopt, if not agree with, a systematic model of history and in so doing bring deeper layers of understanding to the surface.Show less
This thesis is about power relations behind the development of historically themed videogames set in the Global South. The thesis has taken into account games released in the Western World as well...Show moreThis thesis is about power relations behind the development of historically themed videogames set in the Global South. The thesis has taken into account games released in the Western World as well as in the Global South between 2000 and 2020. The main argument is that historically themed videogames set and developed in the Global South do not have the power to add to, differ from or change the representations made about their countries in the Western World.Show less
There is quite a difference in corporate culture between Japan and the US. Despite this, both countries have many companies that thrive in many sectors worldwide, the video game industry being one...Show moreThere is quite a difference in corporate culture between Japan and the US. Despite this, both countries have many companies that thrive in many sectors worldwide, the video game industry being one of them. This seems to imply that there are multiple paths to success when it comes to running a company, or are there perhaps other factors playing? This analysis will focus mainly on Nintendo and Valve, from Japan and the US respectively, as both exemplify the differences in corporate culture between the 2 countries and both have found great success as a company. Analyzing them will hopefully give a better understanding of the differences between the corporate culture of the 2 countries, as well as finding out whether their respective corporate cultures have contributed to their success.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Film- en literatuurwetenschap (BA)
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This text aims to look at any elements from Gilles Deleuze's Societies of Control recognisable in videogames on the level of narrative and how and if these elements relate to the narrative of the...Show moreThis text aims to look at any elements from Gilles Deleuze's Societies of Control recognisable in videogames on the level of narrative and how and if these elements relate to the narrative of the videogame in a way that allows for criticism.Show less
