The Role of Procedural Rhetoric and Gamer Communities in the Disseminating of Anti-Russian Attitudes among Young People in Lithuania and Belarus
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52575/2712-7451-2026-45-2-280-290Keywords:
procedural rhetoric of video games, anti-Russian narrative, post-Soviet nationalism, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Intermarium, Crusader Kings IIIAbstract
The procedural rhetoric of video games is a mechanism for spreading political narratives in gaming communities. However, existing research focuses mainly on general narratives, while procedural rhetoric and custom mods that convey nationalist ideas in Lithuania and Belarus have not been studied enough. This creates the risk of underestimating video games as a channel of hybrid influence on the youth of Lithuania and Belarus, countries with a common historical past but different geopolitical present, which creates a field for anti-Russian attitudes. The purpose of the study is to identify the features of procedural rhetoric in global strategy games and user mods, as well as in player discussions on social media, which contribute to the formation of anti-Russian attitudes among Lithuanian and Belarusian youth. It has been established that aggressive anti-Russian discourse is actively enhanced through procedural gameplay elements and user modifications. The study reveals mechanisms (bonuses for opposing "Russian cultural groups", storylines of "liberation from the Moscow yoke", fashions shaping the image of Russia as an aggressor, etc.) and narrative constructions contributing to the formation of anti-Russian attitudes and historical Russophobia among the youth of Lithuania and Belarus. The results obtained can be used to develop the theory of procedural rhetoric, analyze hybrid threats to national security, and suggest measures to counter destructive information influence in the gaming space.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Михаил Викторович Хазанович, Ирина Ивановна Карпенко, Елена Викторовна Тихонович
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