Academic Scientific JournalsChinese-Speaking Steam Communities in the Face of Russian Aggression: The Case of the "Ukraine War Stories" Game
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26881/ehgs.2026.1.04Keywords:
Chinese language, discourse analysis, Russia-Ukraine war, Steam gaming community, video gamesAbstract
On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a full-scale, massive military attack on Ukraine, resulting in an enduring war that persists to the present. The attack drew enormous attention from the global community, which provoked a feeling that the invasion threatened the entire world’s stability and should be condemned. The ongoing war has encouraged the creation of numerous thematic games, many accessible through the Steam platform. Players often express their reflections on both the game itself and the topic it addresses in the comments section, which is available to all platform users. This paper presents conclusions derived from the qualitative analysis of approximately 250 comments made by Chinese language speakers on the game Ukraine War Stories in terms of language, content, and narrative. We indicate the dominant discourse within the gaming community, taking into account Chinese-language comments concerning their use of traditional or simplified characters, and discuss the emotions conveyed by players’ feedback. We believe that understanding these aspects contributes to a more comprehensive view of how the community of gamers engages and interacts with complex global issues.
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