Analysis of Digital Games Containing Islamophobia on the Grounds of Religion and Perception

Abstract

The development of digital technologies, new media has become one of the areas that affect the social structure and fabric the most. The rapid development of the new media has been reflected in all areas of production, leading it to become a tool for the dissemination or activation of cultural policies in addition to its news and entertainment dimension. One of the most effective and voluminous fields of new media is the digital gaming industry. Just as Islamophobia can be advocated through many mediums such as media, social media, newspapers, TV series and movies, this is also done through digital games. This study is a descriptive study in terms of identifying Islamophobic elements in digital games.

The main purpose of the research is to identify the elements in digital games that conflict with religious and moral rules and feed Islamophobic perception. For this purpose, thematic content analysis method, one of the research methods within the scope of qualitative research method, was applied to the issues found in the games. Although digital games are ostensibly a purely entertainment activity, they have also formed a cultural influence and guidance function over time. Within the scope of this study, digital games with Islamophobic content have been analyzed in detail on the basis of religion and perception. It is concluded that the elements identified in the study cause prejudice about Islam and this feeds the perception of Islamophobia.