Browsing by Author "Iso-Pärnä, Aleksi"

In the thesis, I analyze how language choices affect characters’ representation in two different Grand Theft Auto video games. The characters in the games are fully voiced by real-life actors and actresses, and they represent a large variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Language plays a huge part in the construction of a character, and the character is given a voice which is received and assessed by millions of players worldwide which is why the character represents different things to different people. Players’ attitudes and prejudices toward a certain variation of a language affect how the character is represented. In the thesis, I examine the characters’ Englishes through syntax, vocabulary and slang, but also their cultural and political status and stereotypes. Even fictional characters’ language does not exist in vacuum, because it always carries cultural and political baggage through language language attitudes and ideologies. I apply a multimodal approach to studying representation, which is still a fairly rare subject in video game studies. Both games are set in a fictional version The U.S. which means that their locations, characters and other cultural traits are parodies of their real-life counterparts. They were a huge hit when they were published, selling millions of copies worldwide and shaping players minds throughout the years. Both games are around twenty years old at this point, but still possess for example an active speedrun community online. The games have also been ported to newer gaming systems because of their popularity. The characters, whether e.g., Hispanic or African American, represent at least a little those people living in The U.S. in the past or present. The cultural stereotypes and references to real-life actions, language or appearance cannot be separated from themselves which makes this an interesting, both linguistic and sociolinguistic, study. The groups represented in the games are not portrayed in the best possible way because of the games’ being overtly exaggerated and stereotypical satire. That said, groups and individuals in the games are after all fictional and should be first and foremost seen as such. Even though the games are an entertainment product, a thorough study of representation can be carried out because of their cultural impact and somewhat realistic nature.