Harnessing the Soft Power of Videogames in Digital Diplomacy

Abstract

The study of public diplomacy has focused on how perceptions of foreign audiences can shape the way people interact with individuals, groups, and ultimately, shape policy-making affecting international collaboration. With rapidly changing information and communication technologies and the mediatization of society, the media greatly inform these perceptions. While the video game industry has become a key media player, economically and socially, little work has been done reflecting on the potential of video games to serve as diplomatic tools for cultural engagement and soft power. This paper examines how games operate as tools for digital diplomacy, enabling nations, organizations, and communities to engage in meaningful cross-cultural exchanges. The study explores how video games are uniquely suited for promoting cultural understanding and global collaboration through three key dimensions of video games in digital diplomacy. First, it will discuss games as cultural artifacts that convey values, traditions, and social perspectives. Second, it will examine how procedural rhetoric can strengthen the case for using video games as tools for diplomatic activity. Finally, it will analyze the game Never Alone (2014) as a case study of games serving as soft power tools. By redefining how we think about digital diplomacy, this paper invites game developers, policymakers, and public diplomats to harness the transformative power of video games, where purposeful game design is a cornerstone of international engagement, and virtual worlds become catalysts for real-world change.