This book delivers a unique way of understanding the heart of every first‑person military shooter game – its enemies – from within the genre itself to present a nuanced view of opponents in war games.
The analysis provides a systematic framework for a comparative and intersectional analysis that pays attention to multiple layers of video games, such as narrative, audiovisuality, gameplay, and the construction of ludic space, considering genre‑specific conventions and mechanics. Integrating theories and methods from game studies, cultural studies, and religious studies, this book introduces the concept of “ludic othering.” By applying this concept to a variety of military shooters produced during the heyday of the War on Terror, this book illustrates “ludic othering’s” analytical potential in answering a central question: What social and cultural ascriptions are at play in the representation of enemies?
This volume will interest students and scholars of video game studies, religious and cultural studies, digital media, genre, history, postcolonial studies, and communication studies.
By:
Kathrin Trattner (University of Bremen Germany) Imprint: Routledge Country of Publication: United Kingdom Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
Weight: 453g ISBN:9781032555652 ISBN 10: 1032555653 Series:Routledge Critical Studies in Video Games and Culture Pages: 138 Publication Date:31 December 2025 Audience:
College/higher education
,
Primary
Format:Hardback Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Introduction: An approach to enemies in military shooters 1. Tangos, Targets, Terrorists: The Ludic Othering of Enemies in Military Shooters 2. Enemies Without a Cause: Narrative Demarcations Between Friend and Foe 3. Generic ‘Third-World’-Enemies: Patterns in Representing the Non-Western Other 4. Mapping Opponents: The Meanings of Virtual Geographies of Conflict 5. Counter-Discourses: Military Shooters Beyond Othering? Conclusion: Know Your Enemies Index
Kathrin Trattner is a Researcher in the URPP Digital Religion(s) at the University of Zürich, Switzerland.
