Independent Antiquities: Contemporary Indie Video Games as Counter-Hegemonic Reception of Greek Mythology?

Onafhankelijke Oudheden: Hedendaagse Indie Video Games als Contra-Hegemonische Receptie van Griekse Mythologie?
Begin - Einde 
2024 - 2027 (lopend)
Vakgroep(en) 
Vakgroep Letterkunde
Onderzoeksgebied 
Tijdsperiode 

Tabgroup

Abstract

Video games have a reputation of being overly violent, sexist, and stereotyping. These connotations are the result of dominant hegemonic practices in the game industry, and while they are certainly still found in today’s mainstream games, they only tell one side of the story. ‘Independent Antiquities’ (IA) aims to investigate how contemporary independent (‘indie’) games, which are created by small creative teams outside commercial corporate hegemony, potentially challenge the dominant languages of mainstream games. Specifically, IA is concerned with how indie games interpret the past, and how they represent or ‘receive’ Greek mythology. IA investigates indie games’ potential counter-hegemonic reception of Greek mythology on three interrelated levels: the games themselves, their production contexts, and their audiences. Through game text analyses, semistructured interviews with game developers, an audience survey and experiments with players, IA assesses to what extent indie games can be seen as offering counter-hegemonic reception of Greek mythology. In addition, one important aspect of the project focuses on the Greek game industry, which is severely understudied but offers valuable insights into how game developers and audiences from Greece consider the reception of Greek mythology in games, and how this intersects with questions of cultural heritage.

Onderzoekers

Promotor(en)

Postdoctorale medewerker(s)

Externe medewerkers

Steven Malliet

Faculty of Social Sciences - University of Antwerp