UDC
794:355:327DOI
https://doi.org/10.31429/26190567-25-4-80-91How to Cite
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Рябов Д.О., Колпакова М.М.
Abstract
In geopolitical discourse, subjectivation is typically understood as the process in which individuals internalize and adopt the role of the subject, as a result of external imposition and internalization. A subject of this nature needs to constantly take initiative and demonstrate the capacity for autonomous decision-making, as well as the ability to function independently. Meanwhile, board games, particularly war games, are often left out of analyses. However, children’s war games are also one source of the ‘domestication’ of geopolitics. The process of “domestication” of geopolitics is characterized by the integration of children, elements and relations that are associated with geopolitics. This amalgamation gives rise to a blending of domestic and geopolitical spaces. The process of combining components that do not inherently possess a hierarchical relationship with each other can be designated as ‘assemblage”. The present study draws upon Ernesto Laclau’s theory of political discourse and Nico Carpentier’s discursive-material approach to analyze a selection of modern Russian children’s board war games. The games selected for analysis are Fantasy Battles, Armored Infantry, Zverobots Battle, and Robogear. Several types of text are used in games. These include booklets which explain to players the rules of the game’s imaginary space, the mechanics of the game and ‘fluff’, that is to say, texts on in-game objects such as ‘magic cards’ and inscriptions on packs which explain, in aggregate, winning strategies and stipulate the influence of luck. The integration of visual elements, such as images, within the game’s design facilitates the player’s imagination of the game’s virtual environment. Moreover, it enables the player to develop a conceptual understanding of the game’s various components, including the appearance of painted figures and landscapes, as well as the mechanics of gameplay. The material objects in the game are comprised of soldier figurines, weaponry and military equipment, and landscape elements.
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References
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