The Call of Higher Duty: How the Economy of Patriotism Extends from Real Civilians to Virtual Soldiers

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dc.contributor.advisorBoyer, Dominic
dc.creatorJohnson, Robert
dc.date.accessioned2017-08-25T13:42:18Z
dc.date.available2017-08-25T13:42:18Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.descriptionAnthropology Capstone Final Paper
dc.description.abstractThis project explores how military first-person shooter videogames serve as cultural artifacts grounded within the economy of patriotism. Essentially, the economy of patriotism is the system of exchange in which civilians are attempting to repay patriotic indebtedness that is enabled by perceptions of soldierly sacrifice, that forces conformity to and propagates an idealized patriotic narrative of sacrifice that is at odds with the real experiences of soldiers. Due to their crafted narrative’s mirroring of real civilian perception of soldierly duty, these videogames not only serve as part of these economic exchanges but extend them into virtual worlds. Focusing on the single-player modes within three recent Call of Duty titles, I explore first how these narrative simulations/simulated narratives invoke the sacrificial mythology of soldiers of the civilian public. Secondly, I detail how Call of Duty videogames expand experiences of the economy of patriotism. Ultimately, I bring attention to how these games may contribute to the civilian-military divide
dc.format.extent44 pp
dc.identifier.citationJohnson, Robert. "The Call of Higher Duty: How the Economy of Patriotism Extends from Real Civilians to Virtual Soldiers." Undergraduate thesis, Rice University, 2017. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/97385">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/97385</a>.
dc.identifier.digitalJohnson-Thesis-2017
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/97385
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherRice University
dc.rightsCopyright is held by author
dc.subjectcivil-military divide
dc.subjectsoldier
dc.subjectvideogame
dc.subjectvirtual narrative
dc.subjecteconomy of patriotism
dc.subjectgaming culture
dc.subjectmilitarization
dc.titleThe Call of Higher Duty: How the Economy of Patriotism Extends from Real Civilians to Virtual Soldiers
dc.type.dcmiText
dc.type.genreThesis
thesis.degree.departmentAnthropology
thesis.degree.disciplineSocial Sciences
thesis.degree.grantorRice University
thesis.degree.levelUndergraduate
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