Playing the Empire: Army of Two as a Medium of American Ideological Hegemony

This article examines the 2008 video game Army of Two as a medium through which American political and cultural hegemony is reproduced. The study investigates how the game conveys ideological messages and assesses its role in reinforcing dominant U.S. narratives. Unlike more widely studied military shooter franchises, Army of Two has received limited scholarly attention, making it a particularly compelling case for critical ideological analysis. The research employs a qualitative approach grounded in Antonio Gramsci’s theory of political and cultural hegemony and Louis Althusser’s concept of Ideological State Apparatuses. A close reading of the game’s narrative, character dynamics, and gameplay mechanics identifies the mechanisms through which ideological content is embedded and normalized. Findings indicate that Army of Two functions as a significant carrier of American hegemonic ideology. Its narrative and gameplay align with key components of U.S. political and cultural paradigms, including the valorization of militarism, fetishization of weaponry, legitimization of Western international interventionism, chauvinistic portrayals of non-Western countries and regions, promotion of American exceptionalism and global dominance, orientalization and dehumanization of the Other, and reinforcement of a conservative social order. As an entertainment-oriented action shooter, the game actively perpetuates “common-sense imperialism,” portraying violence and domination as necessary, just, and morally sanctioned. The study demonstrates that Army of Two exemplifies how video games can normalize political narratives and cultural values, reinforcing dominant power structures. This analysis also highlights the potential of applying a Marxist-informed critical framework in game studies, suggesting avenues for future research on ideological content in other games and genres, as well as on how players perceive and respond to such embedded messages.