Crusades and Jihad: An Examination of Muslim Representation in Computer Stratety Games
Crusades and Jihad: An Examination of Muslim Representation in Computer Stratety Games
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Date
2016-12
Authors
Cox, Richard
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University Honors College, Middle Tennessee State University
Abstract
This thesis examines a sample of Western video-games in the strategy genre for
stereotypical depictions of Muslims and Islam through both portrayals of appearance and
through game mechanics. Video-games, although often dismissed as being trivial in the
realm of academia, can carry just as much weight and meaning as any other medium, and
there is no exception in the case of presenting and reinforcing stereotypes.
While some research has been done on Islamophobic stereotypes in video-games,
relatively little attention has been paid to the strategy genre. Stereotypes such as the
“scimitar wielding warrior” or the “Sultan’s decadent harem” crop up in many strategy
games. These stereotypes can be harmful or dangerous to Muslim minorities, and thus
their inclusion in these strategy games is deserving of research. By performing a singleplayer content analysis of fourteen (14) strategy games, this thesis examines the
frequency and nature of these stereotypes in depth.
Description
Keywords
video game studies,
stereotyping,
Islamic representation,
media studies,
strategy games,
Islamophobia