Call of Duty e construção de ameaça : Modern Warfare e a narrativa securitizadora antirrussa

Abstract

This study explores how the anti-Russian discourse present in video games, particularly in the wargame genre, grants them a political character, even if unintentionally. For this purpose, the game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, released in 2007, is used as the primary object of content analysis, understood as part of a broader securitization effort. The objective of the study is to understand how the discursive rhetoric employed by this popular wargame contributes to the construction of Russia as an enemy. The development, construction, and evolution of video games have always been tied to the political premises and historical contexts of each period. Accordingly, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was created within a geopolitical setting marked by the resurgence of tensions between the West and Russia in the post–Cold War era. This context directly influenced the game's narrative, which is set against the backdrop of a potential Third World War. Given this, the investigation is qualitative in nature, with a descriptive and analytical focus, and uses the Securitization Theory as its theoretical framework. This approach enables the observation of how video games, as consumer media, can also function as vehicles for political discourse, capable of reinforcing identities and reproducing logics of alterity—particularly concerning the representation of Russians. Based on this case study, it is concluded that the game reinforces stereotypes historically constructed by other Western media, such as cinema, by portraying Russia and its agents as responsible for global threats, including nuclear ones. Due to its qualitative methodology, this work relied on a review of specialized literature and articles by renowned authors.