Role of Enemies in Military Shooter Video Games - On Hostile Ground

This book delivers a unique way of understanding the heart of every first-person military shooter game - its enemies - from within the genre itself to present a nuanced view of opponents in war games.
The analysis provides a systematic framework for a comparative and intersectional analysis that pays attention to multiple layers of video games, such as narrative, audiovisuality, gameplay and the construction of ludic space, considering genre-specific conventions and mechanics. Integrating theories and methods from game studies, cultural studies, and religious studies, the book introduces the concept of "ludic othering". By applying this concept to a variety of military shooters produced during the heyday of the War on Terror, the book illustrates "ludic othering's" analytical potential in answering a central question: What social and cultural ascriptions are at play in the representation of enemies?
This volume will interest students and scholars of video game studies, religious and cultural studies, digital media, genre, history, postcolonial studies and communication studies.

List of contents

Introduction: An approach to enemies in military shooters
1. Tangos, Targets, Terrorists: The Ludic Othering of Enemies in Military Shooters
2. Enemies Without a Cause: Narrative Demarcations Between Friend and Foe
3. Generic 'Third-World'-Enemies: Patterns in Representing the Non-Western Other
4. Mapping Opponents: The Meanings of Virtual Geographies of Conflict
5. Counter-Discourses: Military Shooters Beyond Othering?
Conclusion: Know Your Enemies
Index

About the author

Kathrin Trattner is a Researcher in the URPP Digital Religion(s) at the University of Zürich, Switzerland.

Product details

• Authors: Kathrin Trattner, Kathrin (University of Bremen Trattner
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 07.01.2026
• EAN: 9781032555652
• ISBN: 978-1-0-3255565-2
• No. of pages: 160
• Series: Routledge Critical Studies in Video Games and Culture
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Religion: general, reference works; Media Studies, Popular Culture, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Media Studies, Religion: general, The arts, Games development & programming, GAMES & ACTIVITIES / Video & Mobile, Games development and programming, Digital Animation