Arab Representation in Video Games: A Comparative Analysis of Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare and Under Siege

Abstract

This thesis is a comparative analysis of how Arab culture is represented in the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Under Siege video games. It looks at how the stories and gameplay mechanics in these digital games either challenge or reinforce common cultural and political stereotypes. The analysis draws on Souvik Mukherjee’s postcolonial discussion on video games and Edward Said’s theory of Orientalism. The data comes from publicly available YouTube walkthroughs and cutscenes. The method used for doing this thesis is reflexive thematic analysis. During the analysis, four main themes emerged: Environmental Framing, Islamic Representation, Us vs Them, and Otherness. These themes help explain how Arab culture is represented in both games.

The results show that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare often reinforces orientalist stereotypes by showing the Middle Eastern region as violent and unstable. On the other hand, Under Siege shows a counter-perspective that focuses on Palestinian experiences of resistance against occupying forces. Overall, this thesis argues that game development needs to be more culturally diverse and ethically responsible to reduce misrepresentation and allow for more balanced portrayals of Arab cultures.