Non-childish sandbox games: the role of game content in the political socialization of schoolchildren

Among the new media that determine the hybrid nature of modern political socialization, there are forms of communication practically hidden from the researchers, but at the same time significant and driven by play space. The purpose of the article is to identify the political content of computer games and related content and to determine the potential of their influence on the political socialization of adolescent schoolchildren.
The stories of computer games are analyzed in order to identify their socializing potential. A systematic approach and analysis of statistical data made it possible to consider the game space as a set of different forms of communication: the game process itself, the interaction of gamers during the game, streams and let’s plays conditioned by gameplay.
Among computer games, several groups can be distinguished. The criterion of division is the depth of the player’s understanding of political reality assumed by the game stories. The first group includes games oriented towards the use of stereotypical images and focusing on the emotional component of everyday political consciousness. Such games can be destructive in nature, shaping images of a political competitor or enemy. The second group is represented by games that require in-depth knowledge in various spheres of social life, including politics. They expand the possibilities of developing critical thinking, situation modeling and decision-making. The third group includes games with an unlimited сapabilities, in which the player gets the opportunity for independent project activities and social interaction.
Game space contributes to the expansion of the children’s personal participation experience in solving “adult” socio-political tasks, as well as causes the emergence of new significant others, which was typical in the traditional system of political socialization only for secondary socialization.
Particular attention is paid to the case of the Minecraft sandbox game, as a platform for limitless modeling and interaction, as well as the content emerging around it (streams and let’s plays) in which fundamental human values are incorporated.
The results of the study reveal online niches where processes of political socialization take place.

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