When the concept of alt history is brought up in the context of intellectual property, it tends to call to mind poorly researched and overly indulgent fantasy that is not worthy of genuine consideration. This is especially true when these alternative histories address the Second World War with the concept of a hypothetical Axis victory being peddled in various forms from obscure internet forums to large franchises such as video game series Wolfenstein. In its forty-year lifespan over a dozen entries, Wolfenstein gives its player the power fantasy of killing Nazis as American darling William Joseph “B.J.” Blazkowicz. While many of the earlier titles centered around an indulgent romp of computerized gore, explosions and swastikas, modern iterations find time to take B.J. away from his arcade shooter roots to provide legitimate analysis of fascism and identity, even if they throw him back into the fray immediately after.
One such scene is found in the 2014 release of Wolfenstein: The New Order. In a relatively mundane cut-scene, B.J. is on a train bound for Berlin, filling a dinky paper cup with coffee from the dining car on the train. Suddenly, the train begins to shake as BJ is interrupted by Frau Engel, a major antagonist of the game along with a ten-foot-tall Nazi combat robot. Yet, combat does not break out; they walk past you and take a seat at one of the tables. Control is given over to the player and you attempt to casually leave but are accosted by Engel. If you ignore her you are blocked by the robot; your only answer is to sit down. As you take your seat, Engel grabs you by the wrist and pulls you in, noting your distinctive Aryan features and the fact that you came from good genetic stock. She then casually asks you to play a “little game” with her to test if you are truly Aryan as she fiddles with a Luger pistol that she places between you on the table. You as the player are then tasked with selecting a series of three photos, you heart racing as you try and parse what seem to be random images with your life on the line. If you hover your mouse over the gun, a prompt pops up to interact with it, but choosing to do so results in Engel snatching the gun away and promptly putting a bullet into your head. You have no power here. Upon restarting, you point between the cards again, and upon picking the final one, you once again find the gun pointed at your head. Just as it seems Engel is about to pull the trigger, she begins laughing. She claims that she has an innate ability to tell if someone is not Aryan, and the cards you picked didn’t matter. A non-Aryan, she says, would have gone for the gun. With this, you are free to leave the dining car and move on with the game. The irony of this scene is that despite his strong jawline, blue eyes, and blond hair, B.J. is Jewish. While it is not perhaps fully explored within the game, it is an established, and important part of his identity within the later entries in the series. A series that also prominently features queer, disabled, black, and Jewish characters who all fight alongside B.J. in his quest to defeat Nazis.
This specific scene depicts a core flaw of fascist ideology that is further heightened through the medium it is portrayed in. A main issue with fascism is that it is not a stable ideology, its stability is founded on the formation of outgroups that are demonized and destroyed. It always needs that outgroup. Fascism is an ouroboros that will eventually turn on its own as it seeks to continue the cycle of punching down. Normally, the player attempts to defeat fascism with fantastic weapons, but here, if you attempt to fight, you are immediately and casually executed. In your first-person perspective, the assault rifle normally in your hands is replaced by a tray with a cup of coffee and a carton of milk. The larger-than-life power fantasy of Wolfenstein, and of video games in general is turned off. You are no longer a one-man army. You are just a man. And with your strength stripped away by the mechanics of the scene, it shows the player that your enemy will not necessarily be defeated through brute strength, but rather, that the ideology itself is built on a rotten foundation.
One reply on “Identity and Power Fantasy within Wolfenstein: The New Order”
It’s always interesting when games take a moment to step away from some of their core mechanics to better convey their message to the player. It helps with reminding the player that while they may be in it to have a fun time killing Nazis, how there is still a deeper meaning behind it all, and how saving the world does not come from violence and power, but through taking down fascism, which isn’t always done through brute force.
Another game that comes to mind would be God of War, where you play as Kratos and are set on a path of vengeance, killing off every Greek god after being wronged by one. Only for the tone to shift within the newer installments as you are no longer in constant battle, but instead are trying to overcome that violence and to put a stop to it, all while trying to teach his son, Atreus, to not replicate his past mistakes and to become a better person than Krato’s once was.