Exploring spatial capitalism through environmental storytelling in video games: the Last of Us part i & Bioshock

Abstract

This thesis presents a critical media study of AAA video game design, thereby positioning narrative space as a key site for ideological struggle and cultural reflection. By investigating how environmental storytelling is used by the two video games, The Last of Us and BioShock, this research questions and challenges systems of power and capitalist ideologies. Drawing primarily on Harvey’s (2005) theory of spatial capitalism and Jenkins’ (2004) framework of narrative architecture, the thesis examines how space, infrastructure, and narrative design function as ideological texts in video game environments. The socio-economic systems and spatial logic ingrained in the post-apocalyptic and dystopian settings of the games are interpreted to provide a framework for analyzing how environmental design and player interaction can convey narrative meaning. Through a comparative case study, findings reveal both games transform physical space into a narrative device that reflects and contest capitalist systems by confront players with the everyday realities of privatized space, and systemic inequality, inviting critical reflection not just through narrative, but through the very architecture of play.