Dividing Through Playing?! The Depiction of the Enemy in the Video Game Heimat Defender: Rebellion reflected in the Ideology of the Identitarian Movement

Abstract

In the realm of video game popularity, far-right actors are increasingly trying to exploit the medium for propaganda and disinformation purposes. A potentially telling example of this is the video game Heimat Defender: Rebellion, which, according to the developer Kvltgames, was explicitly designed for propagandistic purposes on behalf of the Identitarian Movement, which is unequivocally classified to be far-right. While the propagandistic use of video games is by no means a new phenomenon, there have so far been only sporadic analytical approaches to its ideological components and propagandist functions. In this article, using the enemy image concept from right-wing extremism research and the end-level enemy understanding from Game Studies, the enemies portrayed in Heimat Defender: Rebellion are identified. These images are deliberately and sarcastically distorted through end-level antagonists and discussed within the framework of the ideology of the Identitarian Movement. The analysis of these enemy images is given significant importance from the perspective of deconstructing ideology. It becomes evident that the game mocks well-known adversaries of the Identitarian Movement such as Heiko Maas, Jan Böhmermann, Philipp Ruch, Angela Merkel, and George Soros. Moreover, the narrative connections within the game suggest a push to popularize the notion that political, cultural-media, and financial elites are collectively acting against the (presumed homogeneous) interests of the populace.