Intelligence in Video Games in Comparative Perspective

This chapter deals with the portrayals of the intelligence community within popular culture with a focus on video games. It emphasizes that the modern game scene remains bifurcated between AAA games by major studios and the growing sector of independent games that represent a more unvarnished form of expression drawn from developers’ own experiences. Some themes remain consistent between both categories, such as the characterization of intelligence organizations as capable, if ruthless, covert forces. In other cases, the stylized, commercial themes of AAA games are clearly distinguishable from their indie counterparts, which contain more nuanced themes of victimization and conflicting loyalties.