Going fifth freedom: fighting the War on Terror in the Splinter Cell: Blacklist video game

Abstract

Following an aesthetic turn, it has become increasingly permissible to utilise artefacts of popular culture in the study of political phenomena. This practice has been of an increased relevance in the period following the trauma of the September 11th terrorist attacks and the subsequent War on Terror, during which popular culture has played an important role in the provision and reproduction of accessible narratives of warfare and counterterrorism. This article argues that this is evident within military-themed video games, offering a mimetic analysis of the themes of violence, identity and space in Splinter Cell: Blacklist.

Keywords:

• video games
• popular culture
• warfare
• terrorism

Notes

1. From a game trailer, accessible at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77nYiyLItUE&feature=kp.

2. From a game trailer, accessible at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipzksiV8v3w.

3. Examples of video games centred upon past conflicts include the Medal of Honor series (1999–2007), the Brother in Arms series (2005–2010), Darkest of Days (2009), The Saboteur (2009) and Battlefield 1918 (2011).

4. Excerpt from the State of the Union Address, 19 January 2002.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Robert Young

Robert Young is currently studying for a PhD in politics at the University of Leeds, where he is conducting research into the relationship between virtual and real world warfare.