ABSTRACT
This chapter studies the globalization of Southeast Asian game art. In particular, it explores the circumstances of Southeast Asian identity formation as it takes place in the domain of video gaming. It analyzes the visual aesthetics of Southeast Asian games in order to examine the characteristics of Southeast Asian popular game culture. Southeast Asia has become a geographic region with growing power in new media production and consumption. The popularity of video games in this region demonstrates the emerging global circulation of new media content in Asia’s south. In 2013, Southeast Asia was home to a total of 130 million Internet users, among whom 85 million were gamers. The region forms a game market worth US$661 million revenue. Those numbers will continue to grow: By 2017, analysts expect Southeast Asia to have 132 million users generating US$1.2 billion in revenue. The global game market will aim at market growth of more than US$100 billion in 2017.
