MARTIAL ARTS AND VIDEO GAMES: WHAT'S THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO CULTURE?

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Brice Airvaux (Author), Olivier Bernard (Author and Editor), Pierre-Marc Gagné (Author), Fanny Lignon (Author), Yann Ramirez (Author), Laurent Trémel (Author)

This fifth volume in the collection presents texts that demonstrate how the theme of martial arts is illustrated in video games and, more broadly, in the video game culture industry. Martial arts, in fact, constitute a rich and multifaceted imaginary world with numerous references: disciplines, sports, books, but above all, films. Naturally, the custodians of these references are the fans, audiences consuming cultural products whose common core is the broad category of martial arts. For over forty years, video game developers have appropriated these cultural references, integrating them into video games or, more directly, making them the central theme of certain game series: Tekken, Ninja Gaiden, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and many others. Through fan participation, all these video game universes form a consumerist dynamic, a popular culture related to martial arts. Thus, it is not an exaggeration to speak of a video game martial arts culture to identify this phenomenon.

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