Guide to Applying the HGP Method

  1. Prepare Your Game Sample: Select a game or set of games that you want to analyze. Ensure the sample has enough diversity to explore different political myths and ideologies.

  2. Production Analysis:

    • Research the game’s development. Look for developer interviews, postmortems, and behind-the-scenes materials.
    • Investigate the socio-political background of the developers and the cultural context during the game’s creation.
    • Consider external influences such as funding, technology, and audience expectations that might have shaped the game’s content.

  3. Product Analysis:

    • Break down the game into three core components:
      • Story: Analyze the narrative, characters, dialogues, and overall plot.
      • Audio-Visual Aesthetics: Examine the game’s visual design, use of colors, sound, and music.
      • Game Mechanics: Study how players interact with the game (combat systems, puzzles, ethical choices) and how these mechanics reinforce or contradict the game’s narrative.
    • Pay attention to the ideological messages conveyed through gameplay mechanics. For example, does the game encourage violence, and if so, how does it reconcile this with its story?

  4. Reception Analysis:

    • Research reviews, forum discussions, and social media reactions to understand how players and critics perceive the game’s political and ideological content.
    • Identify any patterns in the way different cultural or linguistic groups interpret the game.

  5. Catalog Myths:

    • Identify recurring political myths in the game. These could be familiar themes like “collapse of democracy” or “deviant mother figure.”
    • Trace the historical origins of these myths, and explore how they are adapted in the game’s context.

  6. Document Your Findings:

    • Take thorough notes during gameplay, focusing on key moments that reveal political or ideological subtext.
    • Use a combination of player diaries, screenshots, and additional media (e.g., Let’s Play videos, wikis) to document your analysis.

  7. Repeat and Refine:

    • Play the game multiple times if necessary to ensure thorough analysis.
    • Compare your findings across multiple games to identify larger patterns or variations in political messaging across the genre or medium.