LINGUACULTURAL REPRESENTATION OF ETHNIC GROUPS IN VIDEO GAMES (A CASE STUDY OF "CYBERPUNK 2077")

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the study of the linguistic and cultural representation of ethnic groups in video games, in particular in "Cyberpunk 2077". Factors influencing the manifestation of ethnic characteristics include the genre of the game, its scale, cultural and linguistic discourse and intercultural communication. In the game, the authors focus on the formation of a multiethnic and multicultural picture of the game world. The game is based on the "Cyberpunk 2020" tabletop role-playing game, which provides an extensive artistic and literary base. The developers pay attention to linguistic and cultural representation, striving to create a positive experience for the players. The game features various ethnic groups. The work contains examples from Spanish, Creole Haitian and Japanese. The linguistic (semantic, lexical, morphological) features of the characters’ speech are studied and described. The characteristic cultural and linguistic features demonstrating the ethnic specificity of the game characters are revealed. The analysis of the material shows the desire of the game discourse for artistic realization through the linguistic features of the characters’ speech and their cultural identity.