Making light of darkness: crime and justice in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Colin Atkinson*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

Contributing to the developing area of popular criminology this chapter conducts an analysis of the 2022 video game LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Focussing upon three in-game case study sites and utilizing critical discourse analysis, this chapter explores the extent to which LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga uses humor in both narrative and gameplay to portray issues of crime and justice, and the potential effects of these representations on a diverse demographic of players. The chapter posits that the practices and politics of crime and justice are not entirely eradicated from the game, but are instead presented and played “for laughs.” This comedic treatment works to censor, sanitize and sometimes erase these issues; compounded by the video game’s playful aesthetic. The chapter concludes by tracing the limits of LEGO’s postmodern sensibilities and the subversive comedy of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga as it seeks to “make light of darkness."
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationVideo Games, Crime, and Control
Subtitle of host publicationGetting Played
EditorsKevin F. Steinmetz, Jonathan A. Grubb
PublisherRoutledge Taylor & Francis Group
Chapter7
ISBN (Electronic)9781003346869
ISBN (Print)9781032388090
Publication statusPublished - 9 Sept 2024

Publication series

NameRoutledge Studies in Crime, Culture and Media
PublisherRoutledge

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