The South Park gaming franchise has expertly integrated political satire, including commentary on the Trump era, within interactive experiences that invite players to experience the absurdity and hysteria of modern politics while playing a game. These games, such as South Park: The Fractured But Whole — and maybe future games — highlight a unique space where South Park’s irreverent political commentary intersects with gaming so gamers aren’t just simulating their habits of watching the satire; they can actually make decisions that both reflect and commentate on the absurdity and chaos that is evident in contemporary politics.
The Fractured But Whole: Gaming Satire from the Trump Era
Released in 2017, during some of the peak division associated with Trump-era politics, South Park: The Fractured But Whole embedded political commentary throughout the narrative of the superhero parody that players were tasked to save the town. The game parodyically satirized American politics through the faction’s warfare, social media obsession, and tribal commentary facing politics, while never breaking the fourth wall to lecture players. The ability to participate as interactive satire was something the television series could not achieve.
Political Humor in Gameplay Mechanics
Games based on South Park feature political commentary as central tenets of gameplay systems. Instead of viewing satire, players experience it. Players must create characters that mock identity politics; engage in combat that mocks political fighting; complete quests that mock the bureaucracy and incompetence of politics; and engage in dialogue trees that force players to negotiate their responses between political correctness and honesty.
Player Choice and Political Satire
Unlike the passive enjoyment of episodes of South Park, the act of gaming forces player choice in the context of satirical political situations. Will you fall in line with one faction over another? How will you respond to politically charged dialogue? This element of interactivity brings political satire to a personal level—players do not just laugh at the political events, events they have become disconnected from, they actually have to navigate it. This can, at the very least, foster an immersive level of comedy and, perhaps more significantly, empowerment.
The Modding Community: Player-Created Political Content
The PC versions of the games have specific modding communities that develop custom political content including custom characters based around real world political personalities, modified dialogue referencing current political events and new missions satirizing recent political actions, and texture packs built around political memes. This act of creativity developed by the modding community expands political commentary beyond the original developers vision of satire as it relates to a gaming context.
Mobile South Park Games and Political Events
South Park themed mobile games, such as Phone Destroyer, regularly feature limited-time events that connect to political moments. These events have featured limited time special cards that have political themes and commentary on current politics, and a seasonal nature when they happen during a regular political season. The ability for games to produce mobile games and respond to politics quickly helps the games stay up to date as political satire better than what can be done under typical video game development timelines and slowness we see in other types of video games.
Streaming South Park Video Games: Political Commentary Gaming
There are several Twitch and YouTube gaming content creators, that utilize South Park video games as the game to discuss politics in. Streamers will often flow in and out of commentary about the videos games satire, discuss the political implications of their gameplay decisions, create for a for discussion with their community about potentially political themes within the video game, and utilize their gameplay and as a basis for a discussion about their immediate political environment. The gaming of these creators becomes a participatory political discourse.
Conclusion: Future of South Park Video Games and Political Disenfranchisement
Given the political environment that seems to continue perpetuating factors with social and political chaos. Future South Park games will certainly continue to comment on current political turmoil, including: a more advanced choice-consequence system that mimics real-world political decisions by outlining non-linear choices and complex outcomes, the addition of a multiplayer game that interacts or simulates players making decisions as various political parties or factions (and possibly gaming worlds with very distinct ideologies: libertarians vs socialists), procedural content to respond to real-time political issues in contemporary society or culture, and virtual reality games that allows players to be immersed into parody, satire, or politically charged scenarios.
Educational Value: Learning about Politics through Gaming.
South Park games are primarily comedic, but they also unwittingly teach players about political concepts. Players learn about political systems through the lens of satire, learn about different political ideologies through exaggerated characterization, learn about propaganda techniques via parody, and develop critical thinking about political messaging. Because gaming is an interactive medium, players will remember the lessons learned in games when compared to the passive observation of media examples.
Political Controversy and Censorship in gaming around South Park
Games based on the South Park franchise also face unique political issues in international markets where political satire is less protected under their laws. Some countries will censor market behavior, ban the game or modify the game in order to remove all political references. Resulting in additional meta-commentary about the political statements made by the distribution of the game and the state of free expression in gaming.
Building your Gaming Library with Political Ideologies
Consider a gaming library of politically satirical games that provide South Park games for irreverent commentary on contemporary American politics, Papers Please for themes around immigration and bureaucracy, This War of Mine for commentary on the human costs of war, The Outer Worlds for satire of big business and colonialism, and Disco Elysium for the complexity of ideology. All these perfect examples of games that convey a range of political perspectives via play.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are South Park games suitable for all audiences?
A: No. South Park games are rated M (Mature 17+) and feature explicit content, strong language, and mature political themes. They are written for adult audiences.
Q: Do you have to watch South Park to enjoy the games?
A: Being familiar with the show is beneficial to your experience, but the games are constructed to be accessible to people new to South Park. You’ll likely miss references, but the gaming experience and humor will still be enjoyable.
Q: Which South Park game is the most political?
A: The Fractured But Whole is the most explicitly political, although The Stick of Truth has political themes of its own. Regardless of the political context, both games are great RPGs!
Q: Can gaming change your political opinion?
A: Studies show that a medium action can change political views by creating empathy through player agency, although the majority of players are likely to approach a South Park game already understanding that lens.
Disclaimer
This article presents mature gaming content, which includes political satire, mature humor, and adult themes. The South Park games have been rated M for a Mature Audience (17 +) and offer content that is inappropriate for children. Political leanings in the games are a satirical version of actual politics, and do not represent a literal political position or recommendation. Individual experience in the gaming environment varies according to the individual user experience and individual’s political socialization experiences. Modded content are created by users and are not sanctioned by the games themselves. Gaming should always contain healthy boundaries and should not be the only source of political knowledge and education. This content is for informational and entertainment purposes, and does not reflect political recommendations or satire, nor does it endorse any gaming product.
