Abstract

This dissertation examines the representation of atomic/nuclear weapons and fears within video games through the lens of collective/cultural memory, historiography, game studies and critical theory. These diverse fields are combined into a research typology labelled as discourses of the past which argues that the past is mediated based upon the needs of entrenched power for use in, and the organization of, the present. The study focuses specifically on the representation of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 in both their American and Japanese contexts. The dissertation first engages with key works in the relevant fields. This literature review grounds the work in established theory while also defining and outlining the discourses of the past research typology. The second major section engages in a discussion of the author’s positionality and describes the methodological considerations of the typology.

Through a historiographical analysis, the dissertation argues that the dominant discourses of the past of the atomic bombings in the United States/West is to justify the use of the bombs while erasing Japanese victims. This is further examined in three case studies of American games: Fallout 4, Far Cry 5, and Far Cry New Dawn. A historiographical analysis of Japanese sources finds that there is no one dominant collective/cultural memory and, instead, atomic bomb and war memory is diffused into three discourses of the past (a hero/victim/perpetrator memory triad) where no one discourse is entirely dominant or marginalized. Instead, the relative power of each is dictated by person, place, space, and/or temporality. This is further explored in a case study of three Japanese games: Resident Evil 3, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, and Valkyria Chronicles 4.

Through the combination of theory, historiography, and case studies the dissertation ultimately argues that the selected games mimic the dominant discourses of the past while also adhering to established video game genre conventions and expectations. These findings are then put into contemporary context to argue for the continued relevance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.