Heroes, Helpers and Villains: Representations of the Carnation Revolution through Cultural Game Jam Outputs

Francisco Assis; Maria Costa; Maria Gonçalves; Inês Nunes

doi:10.60543/ijgsi.v3.n2.04

Francisco Assis CICANT, Lusófona University https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9251-5921
Maria Costa HEI-Lab, Lusófona University https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0776-3982
Maria Gonçalves CICANT, Lusófona University https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9664-3288
Inês Nunes HEI-Lab, Lusófona University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3162-8605

DOI: https://doi.org/10.60543/ijgsi.v3.n2.04

Keywords: game analysis, political revolution, protagonist, cultural game jam, textual analysis

Abstract

The present article aims to analyse the content of nine game prototypes produced in the Óbidos Cultural Game Jam, organized in the context of EPIC-WE, a European project dedicated to game-making through a cultural lens. The research focus was on its representation of the Carnation Revolution, an historical event that led to the implementation of democracy in Portugal. Games were divided into three categories, based primarily on the protagonist’s role and depiction of revolutionary action. Games under the “hero” category attributed maximum importance to the protagonist as a revolutionary agent, “helpers” focused on small tasks that contributed to the revolution as a whole and “villains” opted for thrusting the player into oppressive roles as a way to critique the dictatorship

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Author Biographies

Francisco Assis, CICANT, Lusófona University

Francisco de Assis is a PhD student in Media Arts and Communication, at the Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Culture, and New Technologies (CICANT), from Lusófona University, in Lisbon. His research interests are video game aesthetics, narrative and digital play in contemporary culture.

Maria Costa, HEI-Lab, Lusófona University

Maria Costa is a PhD student in Informatics at Lusófona University, researching serious games, human-computer interaction, and virtual reality in the context of marine conservation. She holds a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa. At HEI-Lab, she has contributed to multiple funded R&D projects, developing tools for biosignal analysis, virtual reality training, and game evaluation. Her work includes the design of a serious game that significantly improved children's knowledge and perception of sharks.

Maria Gonçalves, CICANT, Lusófona University

Maria Gonçalves is a PhD student in Communication Sciences, at the Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Culture, and New Technologies (CICANT), from Lusófona University, in Lisbon. She has a master’s degree in journalism and media studies, focused on independent journalism and sustainable business models. She’s currently a first stage researcher in EPIC-WE, a Horizon Europe project, developing work on the fields of cultural game-making, game jams and youth empowerment

Inês Nunes, HEI-Lab, Lusófona University

Inês Nunes is a researcher at HEI-Lab and EPIC-WE, a Horizon Europe project, developing work on the fields of cultural game-making, game jams and youth empowerment.