GAMES WITHOUT BORDERS: LOCATION AND TRANSCULTURALITY IN THE LATVIAN VIDEO GAME THE CASE OF THE GOLDEN IDOL
GAMES WITHOUT BORDERS: LOCATION AND TRANSCULTURALITY IN THE LATVIAN VIDEO GAME THE CASE OF THE GOLDEN IDOL

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the interplay and fusion of different cultural references in the construction of game worlds through the example of the Latvian video game The Case of the Golden Idol and its two expansions, The Spider of Lanka and The Lemurian Vampire. The examined games were developed by the Latvian game studio Color Gray Games and represent one of the most successful exploits of Latvian video game developers on a global scale. Since video games are one of the fastestgrowing segments of the entertainment industry, developing methodological approaches to the study of video games is beneficial for actualising the existing theories in new topics and environments. The study is centred around a qualitative content analysis, which employs a combination of postclassical narratology, semiotics and intercontextual theory of hybridity. Research findings show that cultural mixing in the game is achieved through different strategies, such as evoking associations through familiar-sounding place names (e.g., Albion, Aquitan and Lanka) or mixing real cultural realia with fictional elements to create new, fictional societies and environments (e.g., by blending elements of Baltic-German manor house interior into the Britain-inspired environment of the main game). However, these strategies are not applied consistently and vary between the main game and the DLCs. The author also suggests a more comparative approach in the future to uncover more detailed systems of connection between game worlds and cultural inspirations, as well as points out the potential gains of depicting local settings in greater detail.

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