Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.15291/sic/2.16.lc.2
Video Games as a Response to Socio-Political Processes and Events in Serbia
Irena Čučković
; Academy of Arts in Novi Sad
Manojlo Maravić
; Academy of Arts in Novi Sad
Sažetak
The socio-political landscape in Serbia has been marked by a series of crises, protests, and turbulent events in recent years. In such an environment, video games have increasingly emerged as a form of response to current developments, creating digital spaces for the expression of social critique, irony, resistance, and civic participation. The paper analyzes video games developed in Serbia between 2022 and 2025 that engage with socio-political events and processes, addressing issues such as corruption, protests, elections, clientelism, and other aspects of political and social life, as well as game jams as specific environments in which many of these games were produced. The research examines how these games represent and comment on current socio-political realities, how their creators employ procedural rhetoric, satire, irony, and humor to articulate social critique or political positions, and to what extent such games can contribute to political activism, civic participation, or education. Methodologically, the study is based on qualitative content analysis of selected games, focusing on their narratives, mechanics, visual elements, symbolism, and the socio-political contexts of their production, combined with in-depth, semi-structured interviews with game creators and organizers of game jams in which some of these titles were developed. The findings suggest that politically engaged video games in Serbia function as symbolic forms of resistance and, therefore, are an integral part of the public political discourse, representing a form of socially engaged content within contemporary digital media culture. All interviewees emphasized interactivity as a crucial feature of video games, distinguishing them from other forms of digital and multimedia content by enabling players to take on an active role in engaging with and navigating simulated political processes within the game world. Finally, game jams have proven to be a particularly important environment for creating these games, as they enable greater creative freedom for designers while fostering a sense of community, solidarity, and collaborative production.
Ključne riječi
Hrčak ID:
349040
URI
Datum izdavanja:
23.6.2026.
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