Interdisciplinary Studies in Media and Culture

Representation of Identity in Strategic Board Games; A Semiotic Study of the Games Moukebdar, 7 Wonders, Satrapan and Munahhemana

Document Type : .

Authors

Alireza Hosseinpour 1
Mohammadsadeq Nasrollahi 2

1 M.A. Student of Islamic Studies and Culture & Communication, Imam Sadiq University

2 Associate Professor of Islamic Studies and Culture & Communication, Imam Sadiq University, Iran.

10.30465/ismc.2025.52977.2990
Abstract
Introduction
Board games are among the oldest cultural practices in human societies, yet in contemporary cultural research they are increasingly reconsidered as significant media forms rather than simple tools of leisure. Strategic board games, in particular, possess complex narrative structures, symbolic imagery, and interactive mechanics that enable them to convey cultural meanings and social values. Unlike linear media, board games require active participation, decision-making, and interaction among players, making them especially suitable for the study of identity as a lived and negotiated experience.
Identity, in modern social theory, is understood as a fluid and historically contingent construct shaped through representation, discourse, and power relations. Scholars such as Stuart Hall emphasize that identity is produced within systems of meaning rather than merely reflecting an essential or natural core. Cultural texts—including games—play a crucial role in this process by organizing symbolic distinctions and normalizing particular values and worldviews. Despite the growing scholarship on digital games and identity, board games have received comparatively less attention, especially within the Iranian cultural context. This study addresses this gap by focusing on the representation of identity in strategic board games as cultural texts.
Materials & Methods
The research adopts a qualitative methodology grounded in cultural semiotics. Board games are treated as textual and symbolic systems composed of signs, rules, visual elements, and narratives. Data were collected through close textual analysis and purposeful sampling. Four strategic board games—Moukebdar, Munahhemana, Satrapan, and 7 Wonders—were selected based on their cultural diversity, strategic complexity, and representational richness.
The analytical framework employs syntagmatic (combination) and paradigmatic (substitution) analysis to uncover explicit and implicit meanings embedded in the games. A total of 320 analytical units, including cards, tokens, boards, and character roles, were examined. These units were analyzed in relation to different dimensions of identity, such as religious, cultural, ethnic, historical, gender, and class identities. This approach allows for an in-depth interpretation of how meaning is structured through both narrative content and gameplay mechanics.
Discussion & Result
The analysis reveals that identity representation in strategic board games operates across multiple semiotic layers. In Moukebdar, religious and cultural identities associated with the Arbaeen pilgrimage are foregrounded through symbols of service, cooperation, and collective devotion. The game emphasizes values such as sacrifice, solidarity, and communal responsibility, integrating religious identity into both narrative themes and gameplay structures.
Munahhemana prioritizes religious unity while simultaneously representing occupational and ethnic diversity. Roles such as preacher, merchant, farmer, and military commander highlight professional identities, while the shared religious framework reinforces collective cohesion. Ethnic diversity is visually represented through differences in appearance, yet unified through common religious belonging.
In Satrapan, historical and civilizational identity is central. The game draws on symbols of the Achaemenid Empire, emphasizing administrative hierarchy, imperial power, and collective labor. Occupational roles such as satraps, workers, and soldiers reflect structured social organization and reinforce a national-historical narrative.
7 Wonders represents identity primarily through civilizational competition and social stratification. Ancient civilizations, professional roles, and gendered representations are embedded within the game’s mechanics, highlighting class differentiation, technological progress, and power dynamics. Across all four games, identity is not only represented thematically but enacted through rules, resource management, and systems of reward and competition.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates that strategic board games function as complex cultural media capable of representing and reshaping multiple dimensions of identity. Through their symbolic elements, narratives, and interactive mechanics, these games create spaces in which identities are performed, negotiated, and reinterpreted. Identity emerges not merely as a narrative backdrop but as an integral component of gameplay structure and player interaction
By analyzing both Iranian and international board games, the research highlights the cultural specificity of identity representation while also revealing shared semiotic patterns. The findings underscore the importance of recognizing board games as meaningful cultural texts within the creative industries and cultural policy frameworks. Future research may expand this approach by incorporating player reception studies, exploring additional game genres, and examining the broader socio-cultural contexts of game production and consumption.

Keywords

Board games
Identity
Semiotics
Representation
استوری، جان، (1402). نظریه‌های مصرف (ترجمه داوود احمدی قیداری). تهران: جامعه‌شناسان.
اسمیت، فیلیپ و الگزندر رایلی. (1394). نظریه فرهنگی (ترجمه محسن ثلاثی). تهران: علمی.
اکبری، محمدعلی. (1393). تبارشناسی هویت جدید ایرانی، چاپ دوم. تهران: علمی فرهنگی.
ایزبیستر، کارترین. (1398). عوامل جذابیت گیم‌ها: طراحان چگونه با احساسات بازی می‌کنند (ترجمه سیدرحیم هاشمی). اصفهان: عروج ایمان.
بارت، رولان. (1401). مبانی نشانه‌شناسی (ترجمه صادق رشیدی و فرزانه دوستی). چاپ سوم. تهران: علمی و فرهنگی
برتون، رولان. (1392). قوم‌شناسی سیاسی (ترجمه ناصر فکوهی). چاپ چهارم. تهران: نی.
بلالی، ابوذر. (1401). همه چیز درباره بازی رومیزی، تاریخ مراجعه: 3/6/1404. قابل دسترس در https://ivygame.ir/%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DB%8C-%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%85%DB%8C%D8%B2%DB%8C-%DA%86%DB%8C%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%9F/
جلالی، مریم، و حکیم، اعظم (1401). روابط بینامتنی در بازی‌های رومیزی (بررسی موردی دو بازی برگرفته از فرهنگ اسطوره‌ای و فولکلور ایران) دو‌فصل‌نامه علمی رسانه و فرهنگ پژوهشگاه علوم انسانی و مطالعات فرهنگی 12 (2): 77-98.
جی. دان، رابرت. (1402). بحران‌های هویت؛ نقد اجتماعی پست‌مدرنیته (ترجمه صالح نجفی). چاپ دوم. تهران: شیرازه.
خراسانی‌زاده، محمد، و جلالی، مریم (1400). بازی رومیزی دیوان؛ رسانه‌ای برای انتقال فرهنگ افسانه‌های ایرانی  و بازآفرینی شخصیت‌های آنها فصلنامه مطالعات میان‌رشته‌ای ارتباطات و رسانه 4 (2): 182-143.
دانسی، مارسل. (1396). فهم نشانه‌شناسی رسانه‌ها (ترجمه گودرز میرانی و بهزاد دوران). تهران: علمی و فرهنگی.
ریتزر، جورج. (1398). نظریه جامعه‌شناسی (ترجمه هوشنگ نائبی). چاپ ششم. تهران: نی.
فری، برونو. (1401). اقتصاد هنر و فرهنگ (ترجمه کمیل قیدرلو و محمد وجدانی). تهران: دانشگاه امام صادق (ع).
فوکو، میشل. (1399). اراده به دانستن (ترجمه نیکو سرخوش و افشین جهاندیده). چاپ پانزدهم. تهران: نی.
فوکو، میشل. (1400). تولد زیست سیاست: درسگفتارهای کلژ دو فرانس (ترجمه رضا نجف‌زاده). چاپ دهم. تهران: نی.
کرامپتون، رزماری. (1396). طبقه و قشربندی اجتماعی (ترجمه هوشنگ نایبی). تهران: نی.
کریمی، کوروش. (1401). تفاوت بازی رومیزی و بازی کارتی چیست ؟ (3 مرز اصلی بازی). تاریخ مراجعه: 8/4/1404. قابل دسترس در https://ivygame.ir/card-game-vs-board-game/
کیویستو، پیتر. (1398). اندیشه‌های بنیادی در جامعه‌شناسی (ترجمه منوچهر صبوری). چاپ سیزدهم. تهران: نی.
گروزوسکی، کوین. (1402). بازی‌های درمانی برای نوجوان‌ها (ترجمه زهره عرب‌زاده کوپائی و لیلاسادات سجادی). تهران: ارجمند.
لاروسو، آنا ماریا. (1398). نشانه‌شناسی فرهنگی: جستجوی منظری فرهنگی در نشانه‌شناسی(ترجمه حسین سرفراز). تهران: علمی فرهنگی.
لالر، استف. (1394). هویت؛ دیدگاه‌های جامعه‌شناختی (ترجمه مهناز فرهمند). تهران: جامعه‌شناسان.
محسنی، منوچهر. (1396). بررسی در جامعه‌شناسی فرهنگی ایران. تهران: علمی فرهنگی.
مشایخی، عادل. (1401). تبارشناسی خاکستری است. تهران: نی.
مهجور، سیامک‌رضا. (1402). روان‌شناسی بازی. چاپ پنجم، تهران: ویرایش.
میری، سیدجواد. (1399). تأملی درباره‌ی ایران: واکاوی هویت، ملیت، ایرانیت و سیاست‌گذاری‌های زبانی. چاپ دوم. تهران: نقد فرهنگ.
هاشمیان‌فر، سیدعلی، و چینی، نفیسه. (1400). هویت بریکولاژ و فرهنگ مصرف. چاپ دوم. تهران: جامعه‌شناسان.
هال، استوارت. (1403). معنا، فرهنگ و زندگی روزمره (ترجمه احمد گل‌محمدی). چاپ چهارم. تهران: نی.
یادگاری، محمدحسن، و حاجی‌کاظمی تهرانی، فاطمه. (1401). سواد بازی: شناخت قواعد بومی‌سازی بازی‌های رایانه‌ای. تهران: پژوهشکده فرهنگ و هنر اسلامی.
پهلوان، چنگیز. (1401). فرهنگ و تمدن. چاپ دوم. تهران: نی.
Alexander, Ronny. (2024). Types of Board Games. تاریخ مراجعه: 10/4/1404. قابل دسترس در https://coopboardgames.com/guides/types-of-board-games
Begy, Jason. (2015). Board Games and the Construction of Cultural Memory Games and Culture 12 (7-8): 718-738.
Bogost, I. (2007). Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames. MIT Press.
Booth, Paul. (2014). Board, Game, and Media: Interactive Board Games as Multimedia Convergence Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies 22 (6): 647-660.
Booth, Paul. (2015). Game Play: Paratextuality in Contemporary Board Games. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Daniels, J. T. (2017). Board Games and the Construction of Cultural Memory Journal of Popular Culture 50(3), 12-30.
DiCicco-Bloom, Benjamin, and David R. Gibson. (2010). More than a Game: Sociological Theory from the Theories of Games Sociological Theory 28 (3): 247-271.
Gobet, Fernand. (2004). Moves in Mind: The Psychology of Board Games. New York: Psychology Press.
Gomez, Christian Nyman, and Björn Berg Marklund. (2018). Games for Cross-Cultural Training: A Game-Based Tool for Cross-Cultural Discussion: Encouraging Cultural Awareness with Board Games International Journal of Serious Games 5 (4): 81-98.
Nicholson, S. (2008). The Role of Board Games in Libraries and Communities Library Quarterly 78(4), 1-18.
Sicart, M. (2014). Play Matters. MIT Press.
Woods, S. (2012). Eurogames: The Design, Culture and Play of Modern European Board Games. McFarland. 
Interdisciplinary Studies in Media and Culture
Volume 16, Issue 1 - Serial Number 31
1 (Spring& Summer)2026
September 2026
Pages 39-70

  • Receive Date 04 October 2025
  • Revise Date 14 December 2025
  • Accept Date 15 December 2025
  • Publish Date 23 August 2026

Home

Guide for Authors

Submit Manuscript

Reviewers

Contact Us