Representations of Thai Soft Power & Cultural Identity in Foreign Video Games (1988-2025): A Content Analysis from Foreign Perspectives

Abstract

This descriptive content-analysis study examines foreign video games that represent Thainess and Thai soft power from foreign perspectives. After screening the dataset, 57 video games released between 1988 and 2025 were retained for analysis. Non-game media were excluded, and anticipated 2025 titles were analyzed only through official trailers, promotional materials, developer information, and other publicly available paratexts. The coding framework combined the eleven Thai soft-power domains identified by the National Soft Power Development Committee with four negative-content categories: crime, human trafficking/prostitution, illicit environments, and conflict/war. Data sources included gameplay, box art, synopses, official websites, social-media materials from publishers or developers, and game-related media. Frequencies and percentages were calculated, while qualitative interpretation was used to explain how representations function as cultural signs. The most frequent Thai soft-power elements were Thai names and script (37 cases, 64.91%), tourism and religion (31 cases, 54.39%), and Muay Thai or Thai martial arts (19 cases, 33.33%). The dominant game genres were shooting, fighting, and arcade games. The most frequent negative representations were crime and conflict/war, each appearing in 11 cases (19.30%). The findings show that foreign video games simultaneously increase Thailand's global cultural visibility and reproduce selective or distorted images of Thai society. The study therefore contributes to game studies and cultural-policy scholarship by showing how video games can operate as cultural texts, soft-power channels, and sites of misrepresentation that require more active cultural guidance from policymakers, creative industries, educators, and local communities.