Power chains - (de)construction of power relations within the Puyo Puyo- and Madō Monogatari-game franchise (German)

Stereotypes in non-Japanese media paint a picture of Japanese people as obedient to authority, collectivist-oriented and completely subservient to those of higher hierarchical status. The question arises as to how such portrayals differ in entertainment media created by Japanese creators and aimed specifically at a Japanese audience. In this thesis, the combined Madō Monogatari and Puyo Puyo series of video games was used as a case study for a ludonarratological analysis of the construction of power and authority relationships in video games made by Japanese developers and aimed at a Japanese audience. Using a previously prepared questionnaire, three Madō Monogatari games and seven Puyo Puyo games were examined for the power and authority relationships and ideas of power and authority constructed within them, and their didactic presentation was compared with the discourse on power and authority in Japan already found in relevant academic literature. The results of the analysis refute the hypothesis that this game franchise offers alternative perspectives to the prevailing cultural hegemony in Japan, and rather indicate that ideas regarding power relations and frustration with political hegemony that are already widespread in Japanese society are reproduced in the games. Since the productiveness of the research material could not be fully exploited within the scope of this master's thesis, further research on these games is recommended.