University of Delaware
Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
Faculty Research Workshop
The "Poisonous PlayStation":
Political Posturing and the Productive Potential of
Video Games in Latin America
Dr. Phillip Penix-Tadsen
Assistant Professor of Spanish
Thursday, March 15, 12:30-1:30 pm
Jastak-Burgess 201
The talk will be in English. Come learn about your colleague’s research in an informal
and congenial setting. This is a Brown-Bag Event—feel free to bring lunch!
This talk explores the ways video games have affected contemporary Latin American culture, as well as the ways Latin American
culture has been portrayed in games. More often than not, video games enter into broader cultural discourse only when their
controversial subject matter makes for sensationalistic headlines or serves the purposes of existing agendas, be they political or
intellectual. However, cultural simulations in games are becoming ever more complex, and the extent of their influence over
contemporary culture is rapidly expanding, suggesting that there is a need to approach the subject with greater respect and nuance than
we have generally seen. This talk will contextualize the critical and methodological approaches to game studies within the field of
Latin American cultural studies; discuss the political controversies that have arisen surrounding games set in Venezuela, Cuba, and
Mexico in recent years; and finally develop a preliminary taxonomy of Latin American cultural simulations in video games, based on
three categories that encapsulate existing portrayals of the region and its people: Contras, Tomb Raiders, and Luchadores.
Please RSVP to Dorie Galloway by March 9.
Graduate students are always welcome!