All in a day's work
Class depictions in videogames are prevalent, yet understudied. In this article, we analyse how the working class – particularly working-class men – have been depicted in videogames over the past 30 years. In doing so, we bring together a class- and gender-based analysis to study how narratives, rep...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Sciendo
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Nordicom Review |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.2478/nor-2021-0028 |
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| author | Iantorno Michael Blamey Courtney Dwyer Lyne Consalvo Mia |
| author_facet | Iantorno Michael Blamey Courtney Dwyer Lyne Consalvo Mia |
| author_sort | Iantorno Michael |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Class depictions in videogames are prevalent, yet understudied. In this article, we analyse how the working class – particularly working-class men – have been depicted in videogames over the past 30 years. In doing so, we bring together a class- and gender-based analysis to study how narratives, representations, gameplay, and game systems construct the “working-class hero” as a central protagonist. This is done by examining eight paired examples of videogames that feature working-class characters in central roles, including janitor, fire-fighter, taxi driver, and bartender. Our analysis finds that some roles are glorified (such as firefighters), positioning their protagonists in direct conflict with white-collar settings and antagonists. However, many other roles task players with “doing their job” in the face of repetitive (and sometimes outlandish) working conditions. Through these examples, we document the portrayal of working-class videogame heroes, noting how videogames can both reinforce and subvert common media tropes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-226c94fd35734bbfb179598da3964037 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2001-5119 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | Sciendo |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nordicom Review |
| spelling | doaj-art-226c94fd35734bbfb179598da39640372025-02-02T15:48:50ZengSciendoNordicom Review2001-51192021-04-0142s38811010.2478/nor-2021-0028All in a day's workIantorno Michael0Blamey Courtney1Dwyer Lyne2Consalvo Mia3Department of Communication Studies, Concordia University, CanadaDepartment of Communication Studies, Concordia University, CanadaDepartment of Communication Studies, Concordia University, CanadaDepartment of Communication Studies, Concordia University, CanadaClass depictions in videogames are prevalent, yet understudied. In this article, we analyse how the working class – particularly working-class men – have been depicted in videogames over the past 30 years. In doing so, we bring together a class- and gender-based analysis to study how narratives, representations, gameplay, and game systems construct the “working-class hero” as a central protagonist. This is done by examining eight paired examples of videogames that feature working-class characters in central roles, including janitor, fire-fighter, taxi driver, and bartender. Our analysis finds that some roles are glorified (such as firefighters), positioning their protagonists in direct conflict with white-collar settings and antagonists. However, many other roles task players with “doing their job” in the face of repetitive (and sometimes outlandish) working conditions. Through these examples, we document the portrayal of working-class videogame heroes, noting how videogames can both reinforce and subvert common media tropes.https://doi.org/10.2478/nor-2021-0028videogamesworking classblue collarnarrativesgameplay |
| spellingShingle | Iantorno Michael Blamey Courtney Dwyer Lyne Consalvo Mia All in a day's work Nordicom Review videogames working class blue collar narratives gameplay |
| title | All in a day's work |
| title_full | All in a day's work |
| title_fullStr | All in a day's work |
| title_full_unstemmed | All in a day's work |
| title_short | All in a day's work |
| title_sort | all in a day s work |
| topic | videogames working class blue collar narratives gameplay |
| url | https://doi.org/10.2478/nor-2021-0028 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT iantornomichael allinadayswork AT blameycourtney allinadayswork AT dwyerlyne allinadayswork AT consalvomia allinadayswork |