The representation of borders as historic liminal spaces in digital games

The case of Papers, Please!

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS18120242326

Abstract

Digital games are one of the most engaging forms of media. Players can have a first-hand experience and the possibility of feeling immersed within a digital setting where agency is exerted. This paper seeks to understand the role of digital games as new means of communication and their potential to convey messages that may defy gamers to question the moral grand narratives that shape contemporary societies.

In a moment when many countries have opted to close or limit the circulation in their borders, it is important to think about the role played by the border as a historic liminal entity for the representation of societies and communities, distinguishing those who belong from those who do not. The representation of the border in digital games have tended to follow one of the main tropes explored in other media: the border as a physical space that set boundaries between different nations and different regions of the world. In order to assert the potential of digital games to offer a more comprehensive representation of the border as a liminal space, the case of Papers, Please! (Lucas Pope, 2013) will be analyzed.

Based on a qualitative methodology, having content analysis as primary data collection method, the paper intends to contribute to the discussion on how history may narrativized and, eventually, reinterpreted in digital games. Papers, Please! analysis will be centered on the relationship that is set between player and border, that is presented as a liminal space where the game’s action takes places entirely. Moreover, the paper intends to discuss the role that has been played by digital games in the representation of serious topics and how they have evolved as communication tools beyond their role as entertainment products.

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Published

2024-03-29

How to Cite

Ferreira, C., & Ganito, C. (2024). The representation of borders as historic liminal spaces in digital games: The case of Papers, Please!. Observatorio (OBS*), 18(1). https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS18120242326

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 1 (2024)

Section

Articles

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