How Russia militarizes youth through computer games
Russia has released a test version of a real-time strategy computer game based on the war against Ukraine, Squad 22: ZOV. The game’s plot is based on real military campaigns, and many of the game’s characters have prototypes, such as Vladislav Golovin, a Russian serviceman and participant in the battle for Mariupol.
▫️ The game presents real military campaigns from the point of view of Russian propaganda – it tells about “military victories” that were actually war crimes against Ukraine. The presence of prototype characters also helps to mythologize the war and its participants.
▫️ Similar projects are used by the Russian authorities to recruit people into the army. They try to present the war to the young people as a “game”, a strategic challenge, rather than real destruction and death.
The Squad 22: ZOV game is not just entertainment, but an element of propaganda aimed at justifying the war and creating a heroic myth about the Russian military. This is another step in the militarization of Russian society and its preparation for a long-term war.
Earlier, the Center reported on how Russia has turned the computer game industry into another tool for spreading influence and Kremlin propaganda.
