Utopia, war, post-apocalypse: The image of the USSR in foreign and Russian video games

Abstract

Introduction. The article is devoted to the study of the representation of the image of the USSR in foreign and domestic video games. The main purpose of the study is to examine the specifics of the impact of video games on the historical memory of the Soviet past. Theoretical analysis. The study was based on the hypothesis that video games in the conditions of mediatization and digitalization of public consciousness turn into one of the significant factors in the formation of historical memory. The research interest in the representation of images related to Soviet history in video games is conditioned by the policy of returning the Soviet heritage to the Russian ideological and socio-political discourse. Since Soviet history, and primarily the period of the Great Patriotic War, has become a significant element of contemporary Russian memory politics, there is a need to analyze the specifics of the images of the USSR constructed and broadcast by both domestic and foreign video games. Conclusion. As the study has shown, foreign video games are characterized by a predominantly negative image of the USSR based on Cold War stereotypes. Domestic video games broadcast various images of the Soviet past, which can be considered as a tool for reflection on the history of the Soviet Union and working through the historical trauma associated with its collapse.