Abstract
This article examines the potentials of learning history through the consumption of the Japanese mobile game Fate/Grand Order. The nature of historical representation in the Japanese videogame industry tends to differ significantly from the logics found in Western digital entertainment products. The former constitutes an integral part of the Japanese media mix, typified by the spread of franchises and narratives through multiple visual commodities that include manga and anime. First, we examine the role they play in the social and cultural specificities of contemporary Japan. Furthermore, these commodities are specifically targeted at a body of highly engaged fans generally known as otaku, who become affectionate with the characters that populate these products. Fate/Grand Order features legendary figures drawn from history, folklore, and myth that are reshaped under the aesthetic patterns of the media mix. Players actively engage with these characters, constantly reproducing them through illustrations, comic strips, original stories, and discussion. This also opens a gateway for independent research about the historical figures they embody. Finally, we examine the digital community dedicated to Fate/Grand Order on Reddit, a website that encourages the sharing of content of specific topics and fanbases, to comprehend how historical discourses are shared, shaped, and developed by the online interaction of the videogame’s enthusiasts. Results show that, despite the content mainly addresses the franchise’s fictional universe and the playful interaction with its characters, there is room for the active discussion of history and the further knowledge of the past.
We have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
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Notes
- 1.
As for September 9, 2020. https://www.reddit.com/r/grandorder/.
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Peñate Domínguez, F. (2022). Informal Strategies for Learning History in Japanese Mass Media Visual Culture: A Case Study of the Mobile Game Fate/Grand Order. In: Carretero, M., Cantabrana, M., Parellada, C. (eds) History Education in the Digital Age. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10743-6_10
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