The contribution of linguistic landscape to the construction of a dystopian world in the video game Cyberpunk 2077

The aim of this article is to show the contribution of linguistic landscape to the construction of a dystopian world in the video game Cyberpunk 2077. Virtual linguistic landscape remains a largely unexplored field as it has only recently raised the interest of researchers. Previous studies introduced the notion of virtual linguistic landscape and discussed cyberspace in general. This study aims to show that video games can also involve complex environments worth further in-depth research within the virtual linguistic landscape framework. The data used in the study has been obtained directly from the video game in the span of four days. The whole environment available to the player was documented in order to allow for a comprehensive study of the linguistic landscape. The data was analysed on the basis of four analytical categories that reflect the characteristics of dystopia. The first analytical category is the society of the future, in which people are living with advanced technology and the spread of globalisation. The second category is moral decay, tackling societal decadence and emotional callousness. The third category is oppression of citizens, focusing on the distribution of influence on signs between the three warring sides: the government, corporations, and citizens through their language of dissent. The last analytical category is dehumanisation, engaging in the topic of overuse of cybernetic implants and the subsequent deprivation of individuality. The results shows that the linguistic landscape of Cyberpunk 2077 does in fact indicate the dystopian nature of the gameworld, set within the context of the cyberpunk genre.