Casual Empires: A Look at Casual Colonialism

Games are never neutral — they embody choices shaped by developers’ understanding of the world. Conscious design means understanding the implicit messages behind our choices.

Big takeaways

Games inherently reflect worldviews, and even minor design choices can have a profound impact on how these depictions are perceived.
A theme that has become commonplace does not detach it from its past injustices. The repercussions of these injustices can continue to affect those who have been marginalized by such circumstances.
If you are dealing with such themes, take steps to ensure you are doing so thoughtfully and respectfully. Seek expertise and don’t rely on assumptions.

Casual colonialism in gaming

“Casual colonialism” refers to the often subtle and unintentional perpetuation of colonial attitudes and power dynamics in everyday life. This can occur through:

Dismissive attitudes – Belittling or trivializing the experiences, perspectives, or concerns of people from formerly colonized regions.
Cultural appropriation — Adopting elements of a culture (fashion, music, art) without understanding or acknowledging their significance or origins.
Exoticization — Portraying people or cultures as overly exotic, strange, or “other-worldly” in a way that reinforces stereotypes and power imbalances.
Ignoring historical context — Failing to acknowledge the ongoing impact of colonialism and its legacy of inequality and exploitation.

Casual empires

The term “casual empire” describes how video games, even those not explicitly about colonialism or war, can subtly reinforce harmful colonial patterns through their design. While games centered on colonialism and conquest may seem to offer tempting settings for adventure, they often perpetuate harmful stereotypes and erase the experiences of marginalized communities. This happens through various means:

Game mechanics — Mechanics like resource extraction, conquest, or exploration can mirror historical colonial practices of exploiting land and people.
Character portrayals and storylines — Characters and narratives can unintentionally perpetuate stereotypes about colonized cultures, often depicting them as “primitive” or in need of “civilizing” by (typically) Western characters.
Industry power dynamics — The dominance of Western companies in the game industry can lead to a lack of diverse representation, further reinforcing colonial perspectives.

Mindful design means recognizing these potential harms and avoiding common issues:

Perpetuating stereotypes — Uncritical usage of tropes indirectly endorses racist ideologies, harming players who connect with those mistreated groups (e.g., “primitive natives” vs. “noble explorers”).
Ignoring power dynamics — Casual acceptance of conquest-as-fun mechanics subtly validates oppressive histories, overlooking the very real devastation such conflicts wrought and the biases they may still encode.
Whitewashing history — Presenting these themes without careful critique erases the voices and experiences of the colonized, creating a distorted, harmful view of the past.

Working with sensitive themes demands a commitment to respectfully engaging with sensitivity experts and members of the communities you seek to depict.

See: Harrer, S. (2018). Casual empire: Video games as neocolonial praxis.

Moving toward conscious design

While tight deadlines and ambitious projects can make stereotypes tempting shortcuts, it’s essential to remember that these biases can have real, harmful consequences. As the game industry evolves, we must commit to thoughtful design practices that actively dismantle colonial narratives and prioritize inclusive, respectful representations of diverse cultures and histories.

Of key importance is recognizing when you may be falling back on problematic tropes. For example:

Native as disposable enemy — When indigenous (or non-Western) groups are primarily shown as hordes in opposition to a “heroic” outsider, the game implicitly validates conquest and dehumanizes those cultures.
Exoticization and appropriation — Using cultural visuals disconnected from context (e.g., tribal artifacts treated solely as collectibles) disrespects cultural meaning, objectifying whole societies.
Unchallenged “white savior” narratives — Even subtly casting a “player” in a civilizing role perpetuates problematic savior narratives. This undercuts agency and erases the struggles and resilience of real cultures.

For a more in-depth look at designing to avoid the trap of casual colonialism, see Steps to Avoid Casual Colonialism in Design.

Care with language: Challenging the term “civil”

An important part of decolonizing games is in the language we use. Colonizing empires weaponized the term “civil,” positioning themselves as culturally and morally superior, while labeling conquered peoples as “uncivilized.” This concept was used to justify brutal conquest, forced assimilation, and the erasure of existing systems. By dehumanizing those deemed “uncivil,” colonizers rationalized their exploitation. The success of colonial projects extended beyond military dominance — colonized people often internalized the imposed notion of their own “backwardness,” leading to shame surrounding their culture and a desire to emulate their oppressors.

Though overt colonialism has largely receded, its vocabulary persists. Terms like “uncivilized” still find use when discussing other nations, particularly those in the Global South. Even modern concepts of development aid can carry undertones of the “civilizing mission” mindset.

Uncritically using the word “civil” (e.g., contrasting “advanced” vs. “primitive” cultures) in games reinforces these harmful legacies. Even without explicitly racist intent, your work can inadvertently validate racist ideologies and erase histories of cultural richness and resistance.

Shaping Inclusive Spaces with Words

Whether your game focuses on narrative or not, word choice in game design has the power to shape player perceptions and communities.

Beyond Mechanics: The Power of Words

Use words wisely to create a space where players connect and thrive.

Reducing Bias in Language

Inclusive language is key to dismantling biases and creating a more welcoming game experience.

Harmful Tropes in Game Design

By critically examining common tropes and assumptions, we can create truly inclusive games.

Examining the impact of colonial legacies in gaming

Emerging research on the impact of colonial themes in games, particularly video games, is revealing critical issues. Researchers are analyzing racial representation, identity formation, and the subtle reinforcement of colonial ideologies within game narratives. This includes examining how characters are depicted, the stories that are told, and the underlying messages that games may convey about different cultures and histories.

Researchers are also investigating how games can reproduce global power imbalances. This involves looking at how game mechanics, settings, and narratives may reflect or even reinforce existing inequalities between different regions and cultures.

Efforts to decolonize game studies curricula underscore the importance of incorporating diverse global perspectives beyond Western views. This involves rethinking how we teach and study games, ensuring that we include voices and experiences from around the world.

Now what?

Method Steps to Avoid Casual Colonialism in Design

Avoiding problematic tropes requires intentional design choices, from the stories we tell to the mechanics we employ.

For an in-depth look at how to decolonize your game, see the excellent Polaris Design Retreat Report, Decolonizing play: Exploring frameworks for game design free of colonial values.

Learn more about other aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion in gaming and values-driven work:

References

Blouin-Payer, R., Cook, D., & Gomez, E. (2023). Decolonizing play: Exploring frameworks for game design free of colonial values. Polaris Game Design Conference.
Harrer, S. (2018). Casual empire: Video games as neocolonial praxis.
Shaw, A. (2010). What is video game culture? Cultural studies and game studies.
Mukherjee, S. (2017). Videogames and Postcolonialism: Empire Plays Back.
Flanagan, M. & Jakobsson, M. (2023). Playing Oppression: The Legacy of Conquest and Empire in Colonialist Board Games.