ROMANOV: Russian-Originated Media Archetypes & Narratives in Occidental Videogames
Introduction to the ROMANOV Archive: Exploring Russian Representations in Video Games from a Cultural Perspective
Join us as we explore the stories, symbols, and stereotypes woven into the digital landscape of post-Soviet fiction.
You can read the FULL ROMANOV MANIFESTO HERE
Have you ever wondered what that familiar piece of ballet music in your Sega Genesis game was? Or why levels set in Russia are always full of snow? What those Russian gangster enemies were yelling at you? Or how come the Russian Army is so obsessed with invading New York City?
Don't worry, we've got you covered. Whatever the reference, motif, or stereotype, it will be catalogued and explained here. ROMANOV exists to trace these patterns—musical, political, social, cultural, narrative, and visual alike—and to show how they have shaped our collective image of Russia in gaming.
All across media, Russians have long been a source of fascination, mystery, and, sometimes, caricature. From the Cold War era onward, Hollywood and other entertainment industries developed a knack for portraying Russia in specific, often exaggerated ways. Videogames are no exception. As we dive into these depictions, the goal is not to defend or criticize Russia’s real-world actions but rather to explore the cultural fabric that shapes these portrayals with facts and carefully-researched sources.
One popular all-encompassing stereotype—what Russians themselves call клюква or “cranberry”—represents an idealized, sometimes laughable, version of Russia, complete with snowy landscapes, fierce bears, heavy accents and stoic, vodka-loving characters, who are almost invariably guaranteed to be street thugs, terrorists and spies, ruthless gangsters, totalitarian communists, idealistic revolutionaries, corrupt government officials, religious fanatics, billionaire oligarchs, disillusioned or mad scientists, decadent prostitutes or lethal femme fatales. These stereotypes are a staple in movies and video games, painting an image that can be more folklore than fact, but, like all stereotypes, always created with a shred of truth. Through my analysis, I’ll look at how this idea persists in video games, examining the broader impact and underlying themes that shape these portrayals.
We must also confront the fact that this exploration inevitably touches on Russophobia—the fear, distrust, or disparagement of Russia and Russians. While the blog’s purpose is not to excuse or justify any country’s geopolitical actions, it aims to understand the cultural underpinnings of these portrayals. By doing so, I hope to reveal how certain narratives become ingrained, for better or for worse, and how they contribute to our perceptions of Russia in the gaming world. With ongoing geopolitical conflicts like the war in Ukraine, these portrayals take on new layers of meaning, sometimes reinforcing fears and misconceptions. Russophobia has, thusly, resurfaced in different forms, finding its way into cultural expressions, including video games. There mere mention of russophobia can also make some readers think the author sides unequivocally with Russia. This blog doesn’t aim to exonerate or defend any nation’s actions. There is absolute neutrality here, I believe, a much-needed element in a world which has become very easily consumed by fanaticism, hatred, extremism and jingoism. Instead, my goal is to explore how and why these representations persist in Western games and to examine what they reveal about our collective perceptions.
Ultimately, this series will look at the complex layers of representation and misrepresentation, allowing readers to form a more nuanced view of how Russian culture usually appears in video games. It should be noted, that for the sake of analytical coherence and also simplicity, Japanese-developed videogames are also included, as their representations frequently align with Western cultural perspectives and stereotypes regarding Russians, not to mention, many of them are directed to a Western audience or reference Hollywood stereotypes directly. Moreover, native Russian videogames, especially those that have made an impact abroad in Western audiences or have reached international audiences broadly, will be featured here, noting that the developers are native Russians, as sometimes Russian videogames themselves can be influenced by Western tropes or even cause an impact in the Western world, not to mention, it will be a great exercise to feature Russian videogames here in order to contrast them directly with their Western counterparts. This also includes Ukrainian, Belarusian and any other former Warsaw Pact state or ex-Soviet republic.
The ROMANOV Mission
Having stated these facts and building on these contexts—and how they connect to the broader mission of this archive—this series will ultimately examine the complex layers of representation and misrepresentation, allowing readers to form a more nuanced view of how Russian culture usually appears in videogames. This archive exists to catalog and analyze, but also defend Russian culture against erasure, distortion, and the lazy reliance on caricature. The purpose here is not to excuse governments or justify wars, but to insist that culture must remain separate from politics. Russian art, language, and memory are now under siege, not only through Western sanctions and boycotts, but also through Ukraine’s deliberate campaign to dismantle monuments, ban literature, and erase an entire cultural legacy even while presenting itself as the victim of Russia’s cultural repression. Such contradictions expose the double standards at play: the West has sought to isolate Russia, yet Russian culture endures. This archive itself is living proof of that endurance. By analyzing and denouncing stereotypes, vilification, and historical fictions, ROMANOV stands as a reminder that no amount of propaganda can succeed in making an entire people or their culture simply vanish.
To put it simply, Russia matters. And shall continue to matter.
It should be noted, that for the sake of analytical coherence and also simplicity, Japanese-developed videogames are also included, as their representations frequently align with Western cultural perspectives and stereotypes regarding Russians, not to mention, many of them are directed to a Western audience or reference Hollywood stereotypes directly. Moreover, native Russian videogames, especially those that have made an impact abroad in Western audiences or have reached international audiences broadly, will be featured here, noting that the developers are native Russians.
No game is excluded here. American, British, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian—or from any other country—all titles that feature Western tropes and clichés are welcome and will be examined through the same lens, (although the focus will be on Western-developed games). Their biases, agendas, stereotypes, and prejudices will be noted, regardless of origin. As surprising as it may seem, even Russian developers can be highly critical of their own country, culture, and government, and sometimes they too adopt or replicate Western prejudices about themselves. In fact, Russian games can be just as shaped by these tropes as they are capable of influencing Western audiences in return. For that reason, it is equally important to feature Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, and other post-Soviet games here, not only to highlight how they engage with these archetypes, but also to contrast them directly with their Western counterparts.
Localization is just as important as design or narrative, and this archive will also explore how Russian culture appears through language itself: from Russian dubs of Western games to the way Russian dialogue is written and spoken in English titles—sometimes authentic, sometimes riddled with errors or clichés—revealing yet another layer of how culture is filtered, misrepresented, or reimagined in gaming, through language, transcreation and localization.
Our Mission Statements
The ROMANOV Archive is ongoing and entries shall be constantly added, as well as edited and updated when needed. Entries are arranged first numerically, then alphabetically.
