Guardians of “Green Brazil”

Representations of Amazon Brazil in electronic games from the 1990s

Abstract

This study aims to categorize and analyze the representations of Brazil in foreign electronic games produced in the 1990s, especially those that address identity elements related to the Amazonian universe. To this end, this research will have as its main source of analysis fighting games such as Street Fighter II: The World Warriors (1991), Fight Fever (1994) and Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors (1994), discussing the metaphorical powers of the image digital and its relationship with Brazil. The methodology used will be Peircean semiotics, seeking to identify the multiple meanings of the signs expressed on screen. This research is justified by having digital games as the main source, understanding them as a cultural product with significant relevance in the entertainment industry, which provides greater observance of possible intersections with different fields of knowledge. The research will be conducted by Roger Chartier's (1991) concepts of representation and appropriation; Schuytema (2008), Robinett (2001), Jensen, Barreto and Valentine (2016) and Zambon (2020), when analyzing digital games and the games market; and Peircean semiotics as a central basis, with emphasis on the studies of Santaella (1995; 2002; 2012) and Woodward (2014). At the end of the trajectory of this research, it is concluded how these representations dialogue with each other and how they symbolize aspects of the Amazon in the foreign imagination.