Proceedings of the 2021 International Conference on Social Development and Media Communication (SDMC 2021)

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The Impact of the American Game: “The Last of Us 2” on the Shaping of Asian Gamers’ Cultural Identity

Authors
Shanshan Chen1, a,*, †, Yixuan Gui2, b, *, †, Lingxiao Liao3, c, *, †, Ziheng Shi4, d, *, †
1College of Communication. Wenzhou-Kean University. Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
2College of Literature and Journalism, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
3College of Communication, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, CO 86001, USA
4College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO 80204, USA. International College of Beijing, China Agriculture University, China
†

Those authors contributed equally.

*Corresponding author. Email: achensha@kean.edu
Corresponding Authors
Shanshan Chen, Yixuan Gui, Lingxiao Liao, Ziheng Shi
Available Online 17 January 2022.
DOI
10.2991/assehr.k.220105.209How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Video Game; “The Last of Us 2”; Asian; Cultural Identity
Abstract

Since the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, race has become an increasingly important issue, with more people playing video games to pass the time during home quarantine. “The Last of Us 2” is a game that is popular but also very controversial in 2020. In different countries and communities worldwide, “The Last of Us 2” has a wide range of players, especially those who have played the first version. Since its distribution, the game has been plagued with controversy over its portrayal of Asian characters and plot. Accordingly, we decided to use this game as an example to analyse the impact of Asian plot arrangements in American games on Asian players’ cultural identity. We conducted interviews with 10 Asian gamers (3 in the US, 6 in China, and 1 in France) who have played “The Last of Us 2” through focus group plus analysis. This article analyses the American game “The Last of Us 2” from its story arrangement, plot setting, and character design. Our research will involve new insights into American games on the cultural identity of Asian gamers, which include the impact of stereotypes, racial discrimination plots on Asian gamers’ cultural identity, self-worth, political correctness, aesthetics. The study contributes to the dissertation research on aesthetical interaction in cultural content-based games, and will also provide valuable insights for cultural researchers, game developers, scholars, practitioners, and researchers in social studies, and points out future research directions.

Copyright
© 2022 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL.
Open Access
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 2021 International Conference on Social Development and Media Communication (SDMC 2021)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
17 January 2022
ISBN
10.2991/assehr.k.220105.209
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/assehr.k.220105.209How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2022 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL.
Open Access
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Shanshan Chen
AU  - Yixuan Gui
AU  - Lingxiao Liao
AU  - Ziheng Shi
PY  - 2022
DA  - 2022/01/17
TI  - The Impact of the American Game: “The Last of Us 2” on the Shaping of Asian Gamers’ Cultural Identity
BT  - Proceedings of the 2021 International Conference on Social Development and Media Communication (SDMC 2021)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 1140
EP  - 1144
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220105.209
DO  - 10.2991/assehr.k.220105.209
ID  - Chen2022
ER  -