Looking at political messages in media, I’m seeing some interesting patterns in how they’re delivered. Take Silent Hill 2 – underneath all that psychological horror, there’s this whole layer dealing with mental health and illness. It’s not trying to be too overt about it, but those themes are woven right into how the game works. Although games aren’t exactly “animation” per se, animated setpieces and character, are a key component to how videogames communicate with the player.
I’ve been analysing how these messages spread across different media types:
Games do something really unique here. Papers, Please is a perfect example – the whole gameplay loop makes you live through these moral choices instead of just watching them happen. You’re actually dealing with the politics by playing, which effects you differently than just watching a film about it.
Here’s what I noticed about how they’re building these messages in:
- Setting up stories through environment design
- Using character looks to show social structures
- Building meaning into how games actually play
- Making viewers/players get involved with the ideas
Social media changed everything about how political media works. You’ve got TikTok turning political messages into these bite-sized entertaining clips, while streaming shows can take their time developing more complex ideas. It’s fascinating how the platform shapes the message. Creators can produce small animated clips that subvert expectations since we are used to consuming polical media through more traditional means, and can reach out to the emotions of thousands through videos 15 seconds long.
Working with newer platforms means totally rethinking how we deliver these ideas. What used to need a whole movie for can now spread through a bunch of connected posts or a small indie game. The way people consume media now has opened up all these new possibilities while making the old ways less effective.
The rise of independent creators in media has really changed the landscape. Since they don’t need big studio approval, smaller teams can tackle political topics more directly. I’m seeing much more diverse viewpoints coming through entertainment now.