Political Communication in Computer Games : Case Study of Skyrim Gaming Community of Russians

The paper deals with the problem of political communication in computer game: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Softworks, 2011). Skyrim model of political communication can be considered as prototype of modern postmodern model of organization of political life.We considered interrelations and inter-influence between political behavior in real world and political activity of players in virtual world. From political point of view computer video games can be interested as element of formation of certain political model of relations between representatives of different political ideologies. We considered this problem on the most bright example of civil war of Skyrim. We conducted the content analysis of comment of Russian users to Youtube 1210 comments were analyzed, 32% of them were written by the nationalist supporters, 27% of commentators supported the empire. Content analysis of comment of Russian users to Skyrim's Youtube videos connected with Civil war in Skyrim showed how real political ideology of Russian nationalism and anarchism can be «hidden» in the form of comments to Skyrim's videos. We made the conclusion that globalized virtual world of video games, for example Skyrim, can be the instrument of political influence of certain political ideology on consciousness and behavior of the mass of gamers