Krig, hegemoni och populärkultur: En analys av Call of Duty

Abstract

This qualitative study conducts an analysis of contemporary popular culture via the popular videogame Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. This study is performed with an already existing analytical framework which splits the analysed scenes into three parts: Narrative, Visual and Gameplay, in order to codify the events contained within the videogame. The analysis itself is performed using generally two key concepts; Hegemony and Orientalism. By using these two it can be discerned how traces of American hegemony could be found within Call of Duty. As the US finished operations in Iraq culture within the US itself began to explain how the conflict was ethically motivated with different works in popular culture. This study finds indeed that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare creates a new narrative using aspects from the Iraq conflict that changes the way the US wages war is perceived. By performing this analysis it can be explained how videogames as a popular media can influence society's view of war and thus become a tool for hegemony to express itself.