Isang pagsusuring semiolohikal sa mga Duterte mobile game sa Google Play

Abstract

With the rise of video games as a form of entertainment and of the freemium culture in mobile gaming, and within the current political climate in the Philippines since the 2016 national election, free Duterte games have appeared and are still available in Google Play. This study analyzed ten (10) free games from the downloading platform using Barthesian semiology. Mostly identified as shooting games, these games have four elements present. First, the majority of these games have created a myth of President Rodrigo Duterte as the protagonist of these violent games, a myth also created for the “kontra-droga” campaign. Second, several personalities have appeared as allies with a covert message of being in line with or supportive of the protagonist’s motive. Third, weaponry is prominently used in the games, reflective of the policies promised during campaigns and eventually carried out. Fourth, like other games, these ones use the icons of zombies, drug addicts, and criminals as the enemies of the games, alongside the icons of media, jail, and several personalities like Leila De Lima, Edgar Matobato, and Franklin Drilon. In this semiological analysis, the rhetorical strategies of inoculation, identification, and privation of history are employed to uncover the myths behind these prominent game elements.