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Discursive Malleability of the Dark Web: Analyzing Dark Web’s Representations in Video Games

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Piotr Siuda
Piotr Siuda

Organizer: Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI), University of Bremen. Conference: Beyond Play: The Transformative Power of Digital Gaming in a Deeply Mediatized Society, Bremen, September 30-October 2, 2024. Paper: Discursive Malleability of the Dark Web: Analyzing Dark Web’s Representations in Video Games.

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DISCURSIVE MALLEABILITY OF THE DARK WEB: ANALYZING DARK WEB’S REPRESENTATIONS IN VIDEO GAMES Piotr Siuda Department of Game Studies and Digital Culture Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland Financed by the Polish Ministry of Science under “Regionalna Inicjatywa doskona?o?ci” program. BEYOND PLAY THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF DIGITAL GAMING IN A DEEPLY MEDIATIZED SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 30 – OCTOBER 2, 2024 BREMEN, GERMANY THE CENTRE FOR MEDIA, COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION RESEARCH (ZEMKI)
Piotr Siuda, Jakub Nowak, Robert W Gehl, Darknet imaginaries in Internet memes: the discursive malleability of the cultural status of digital technologies, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Volume 28, Issue 1, January 2023, zmac023, https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmac023
WHAT IS THE DARK WEB? Technologically: it is a niche system. Socially: it has a dangerous reputation. Discourse: ordered ways of speaking about a particular cultural object. MULTIPLE DISCOURSES SURROUNDING IT
DISCURSIVE MALLEABILITY OF NICHE TECHNOLOGIES Its socially shared definition is constructed more by its common imaginaries than by people’s actual experiences with it. OTHER SUCH TECHNOLOGIES
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND Double articulation of media and cultural imaginaries Any kind of medium is located in spatiotemporal settings while also being a text or symbolic message located within the flows of particular socio-cultural discourse. Hegemonic conceptions of the dark web
HOW MEMES DISCUSS DOMINANT DEPICTION... How do these collectively created representations discuss - reinforce or question - hegemonic depictions and evaluations of this particular niche technology, such as those offered by journalists or academics?
Discursive Malleability of the Dark Web: Analyzing Dark Web’s Representations in Video Games
Discursive Malleability of the Dark Web: Analyzing Dark Web’s Representations in Video Games
WHAT ABOUT GAMES? Common themes and motifs that reflect broader imaginaries and societal anxieties about the hidden internet - close reading and textual analysis. Games that actually deal with the dark web. WELCOME TO THE GAME (2016) DARKNET (2017) WELCOME TO THE GAME II (2018) PROJECT DEEP WEB (2020) DEEPWEB SIMULATOR (2024)
Discursive Malleability of the Dark Web: Analyzing Dark Web’s Representations in Video Games
NO MAN’S SKY (2016) ONLINE ANONYMITY AND THE DANGERS OF THE DARK WEB (AND ITS MORAL AMBIGUITIES) Shadowy place filled with danger and anonymity (technology used for nefarious purposes). Pervasive isolation and vulnerability: navigating a labyrinth of dangerous websites while constantly being threatened by mysterious entities. Darknet “technology” and its insiders. THEME NO. 1
NO MAN’S SKY (2016) SURVEILLANCE AND VULNERABILITY (CONSIDERING THE UNKNOWN THAT ALLURES ) Constant surveillance and the player’s vulnerability within the digital space, often requiring them to manage their security in real-time. The dark web is often presented as a mysterious place that draws people in out of curiosity but ultimately endangers them. THEME NO. 2
NO MAN’S SKY (2016) PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR AND PARANOIA These games evoke fear through psychological tension rather than through monsters or jumpscares. Codes and cryptic puzzles as central mechanics, symbolizing the complexity/secrecy of the dark web. The in-game representation of computer systems, interfaces, and hacking tools. THEME NO. 3
VISUALLY... Consistent aesthetic to convey the dark web’s unsettling nature. Dark, muted colors, glitchy interfaces, and eerie soundscapes...
Discursive Malleability of the Dark Web: Analyzing Dark Web’s Representations in Video Games
CONCLUSION To understand how popular media, including video games, contribute to the cultural construction of the dark web. To show that the theory of discursive malleability can be extended beyond memes; it can be applied to other media. The analysis presented here is just a starting point for further analysis.
piotrsiuda.com piotr.siuda@ukw.edu.pl piotr.siuda@gmail.com Researchgate.net Academia.edu THANKS FOR LISTENING Financed by the Polish Ministry of Science under “Regionalna Inicjatywa doskona?o?ci” program.

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Discursive Malleability of the Dark Web: Analyzing Dark Web’s Representations in Video Games

  • 1. DISCURSIVE MALLEABILITY OF THE DARK WEB: ANALYZING DARK WEB’S REPRESENTATIONS IN VIDEO GAMES Piotr Siuda Department of Game Studies and Digital Culture Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland Financed by the Polish Ministry of Science under “Regionalna Inicjatywa doskona?o?ci” program. BEYOND PLAY THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF DIGITAL GAMING IN A DEEPLY MEDIATIZED SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 30 – OCTOBER 2, 2024 BREMEN, GERMANY THE CENTRE FOR MEDIA, COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION RESEARCH (ZEMKI)
  • 2. Piotr Siuda, Jakub Nowak, Robert W Gehl, Darknet imaginaries in Internet memes: the discursive malleability of the cultural status of digital technologies, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Volume 28, Issue 1, January 2023, zmac023, https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmac023
  • 3. WHAT IS THE DARK WEB? Technologically: it is a niche system. Socially: it has a dangerous reputation. Discourse: ordered ways of speaking about a particular cultural object. MULTIPLE DISCOURSES SURROUNDING IT
  • 4. DISCURSIVE MALLEABILITY OF NICHE TECHNOLOGIES Its socially shared definition is constructed more by its common imaginaries than by people’s actual experiences with it. OTHER SUCH TECHNOLOGIES
  • 5. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND Double articulation of media and cultural imaginaries Any kind of medium is located in spatiotemporal settings while also being a text or symbolic message located within the flows of particular socio-cultural discourse. Hegemonic conceptions of the dark web
  • 6. HOW MEMES DISCUSS DOMINANT DEPICTION... How do these collectively created representations discuss - reinforce or question - hegemonic depictions and evaluations of this particular niche technology, such as those offered by journalists or academics?
  • 9. WHAT ABOUT GAMES? Common themes and motifs that reflect broader imaginaries and societal anxieties about the hidden internet - close reading and textual analysis. Games that actually deal with the dark web. WELCOME TO THE GAME (2016) DARKNET (2017) WELCOME TO THE GAME II (2018) PROJECT DEEP WEB (2020) DEEPWEB SIMULATOR (2024)
  • 11. NO MAN’S SKY (2016) ONLINE ANONYMITY AND THE DANGERS OF THE DARK WEB (AND ITS MORAL AMBIGUITIES) Shadowy place filled with danger and anonymity (technology used for nefarious purposes). Pervasive isolation and vulnerability: navigating a labyrinth of dangerous websites while constantly being threatened by mysterious entities. Darknet “technology” and its insiders. THEME NO. 1
  • 12. NO MAN’S SKY (2016) SURVEILLANCE AND VULNERABILITY (CONSIDERING THE UNKNOWN THAT ALLURES ) Constant surveillance and the player’s vulnerability within the digital space, often requiring them to manage their security in real-time. The dark web is often presented as a mysterious place that draws people in out of curiosity but ultimately endangers them. THEME NO. 2
  • 13. NO MAN’S SKY (2016) PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR AND PARANOIA These games evoke fear through psychological tension rather than through monsters or jumpscares. Codes and cryptic puzzles as central mechanics, symbolizing the complexity/secrecy of the dark web. The in-game representation of computer systems, interfaces, and hacking tools. THEME NO. 3
  • 14. VISUALLY... Consistent aesthetic to convey the dark web’s unsettling nature. Dark, muted colors, glitchy interfaces, and eerie soundscapes...
  • 16. CONCLUSION To understand how popular media, including video games, contribute to the cultural construction of the dark web. To show that the theory of discursive malleability can be extended beyond memes; it can be applied to other media. The analysis presented here is just a starting point for further analysis.
  • 17. piotrsiuda.com piotr.siuda@ukw.edu.pl piotr.siuda@gmail.com Researchgate.net Academia.edu THANKS FOR LISTENING Financed by the Polish Ministry of Science under “Regionalna Inicjatywa doskona?o?ci” program.
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