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WE'RE NOT THAT COOL

Awakening for video games!

By Lukáš Kopecký

May 18^th, 2023

Master's project

I'd like to introduce you to this project - PSA: it’s still in progress - which originally began as my final master’s project. It included a written thesis based on cultural anthropology research, as well as a visual outcome. Even after graduating successfully, I’ve continued working on it.

So! I came up with this idea after consuming a lot of films and video games that try to be more inclusive and welcoming toward minorities and different cultures. But I quickly realised there’s a clear imbalance. While some communities get space to be celebrated - or simply represented - there is one culture that is constantly generalised, misrepresented, or even antagonised. That culture is Slavic.

I started noticing this stereotypical approach to depicting Slavic people and Eastern Europeans almost everywhere they appeared - or, even worse, they weren’t represented at all.

But instead of just being angry and complaining, I told myself: Go out, research this rich culture, and show the world the real picture.

PS: For the best experience, view this article on a desktop rather than on a mobile device.

Before I show you my own work and the research I’ve done on this topic, I’d like to explain why I started to care about the depiction of Slavic people in mass media. While others were celebrated for their beautiful differences, we were left forgotten - or, even worse, we were often antagonised, and nobody even seemed to notice.

Our painful history has left a deep scar, reflected in the way we’re portrayed: as hypersexualised women and criminals. Many people outside our world may not even realise how hurtful this is. Even some of us might not consider it toxic - but I want to change that and show the world what we truly have to offer.

Left: Promotional poster for Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (EA Games).

Right: “Red Athena,” a character skin for Athena in SMITE (Hi-Rez Studios).

Not all stereotypes are bad or hurtful. Sometimes they play an important role in storytelling - they can act as a shortcut for establishing a setting or shaping a character.

Based on my academic research, I believe almost every culture has its own widely recognised stereotype. But when it comes to Slavic stereotypes, that kind of shorthand seems to disappear. There isn’t a clear, positive cultural “shortcut” people can instantly relate to.

And maybe that’s partly our fault - maybe we never truly welcomed the world into our world.

As strong examples of how stereotypes can be used thoughtfully to bring a culture closer to a wider audience, I’m including a few Pixar and Disney films below.

Journey begins

So there I was - heading into regions shaped by tradition and celebration. As a city kid, I was overwhelmed by the colourful streets unfolding before me, and by the music that seemed to fill every corner. From the start of my journey, I felt certain: the world would be welcomed by us.

Mugshots.

Before I went, I messaged the kids on Facebook who actually help run these festivities, and I managed to get right into the heart of the culture. Thanks to that, I had the opportunity not only to ask about everything that was happening, but also to experience the vibe firsthand - to feel the living heritage that still exists among us.

In the end, I wanted to do a few photoshoots to show you how beautifully these young people wear their traditional outfits.

Slovakia

At first, I kept asking myself: I know the Czech Republic - but where do things still go truly wild in other Slavic nations? After a message from my Slovak friend, I packed my gear and headed to Slovakia, where a festival of traditions was about to begin.

Reportage

My main focus was photography - documentary work for academic research purposes, along with some fine-art pieces. But I also filmed a few videos, both with my camera and with my iPhone (you can see the iPhone footage below the first video).

I created two separate videos: the first captures the essence of the experience in a more dynamic, cinematic way, while the second is more documentary in style - especially for anyone who would like to join this project.

INSTAGRAM!

If you are interested to see stuff from this project more often go follow on instagram @Wearenot_thatcool !

After gathering the essential materials and building a foundation of knowledge for my future work—both for presenting our culture and for my graduation exam—I found myself thinking about two key questions that became crucial to my application:

1) What exactly do I want to apply my research, work, and manifesto to?

2) How do other Slavic creators depict our culture?

Apex Legends

The world we live in today is increasingly dominated by video games. They’ve become one of the most widely consumed forms of media - especially because, unlike film, games give you the sensation that you’re actually living inside the simulation. That’s why I decided this is the strongest field for my project to focus on. This medium offers a wide range of ways to present culture and, quite literally, bring players directly into your world. The Witcher 3 does this brilliantly - it genuinely feels like you’re somewhere in Poland.

As a long-time player (since its release) of one of the biggest battle royales on the market, my focus naturally shifted to Apex Legends by EA. In terms of representation, the game is remarkably inclusive - and, most importantly, one of the least toxic spaces within this topic. I love the gameplay, the lore, and the universe, and I decided that we, as Slavs, should be part of it too - because we have so much to offer.

As I’m showing in the examples below, I’d like to acknowledge and praise the creators at Respawn for their thoughtful and sensitive approach to inclusive elements, which results in stronger representation of different cultures and social groups.

You might not even notice what I mean at first - but those who are represented will immediately understand what’s happening and what it communicates. And in my opinion, that’s a powerful and beautiful way to enrich the video game industry.

Pinterest.

I dived deep into the corners of the internet in search of the visual essence of my people. I was curious to see how artists from other nations approach their own cultural expression. It’s a shame I can’t show all of them, because I discovered several truly special works that became a major source of inspiration for me. There is a wide range of styles, genres, and even different approaches to content.

The image of the girl dancing in fire is probably the most classical painting with a strong Slavic energy that I found online. This is evident in the variety of symbols at play: a young woman wearing a flower crown, flowing ribbons, patterned garments in motion, fire with pagan symbolism, and the dominant use of red. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to verify the original author of this work - so if you’re reading this and recognise it, please get in touch.

Below, I’m also including other paintings by the artist Marta Pitchuk, which I found on Pinterest. These works perfectly capture what I imagine when someone asks me, “What does Slavic culture look like in a modern context?” They align almost exactly with the visual atmosphere I’m seeking for my future application.

The name.

As I got closer to creating something tangible for my graduation, one question kept coming back: “What am I going to call this project?”

And the answer came from a thought I’d had many times before: “Maybe we’re not represented because we’re not that cool.”

But - we are THAT cool!

school's outcome

So after my academic research into examples of hurtful, toxic, or problematic depictions in films and video games - along with my travels to different regions, my online search for inspiration, and setting a clear goal for where to apply this project - I created a small concept zine to raise awareness about us.

At first, I thought maybe we were “not that cool” to be included in pop culture. But after everything I experienced, I decided to cross that one word out.

ornaments

So far, it had been mostly photography and research - but I knew that one of the key elements of visual storytelling is ornament. And Slavic culture is rich in ornamentation, which often varies from region to region. So I took everything I had gathered, started sketching, and began creating my own study of Slavic ornaments.

music

From the beginning, I had the idea to create animated ornaments and present this graphic side of Slavic culture in a modern way. I decided to include music in the animation - but that’s where it became tricky. Not only do the ornaments vary from region to region, but the music does too. It’s the same culture, with similar customs, yet a different sound and visual language.

So after seeing thousands of ornaments on clothes, buildings, books, tattoos, and countless other places, I listened to hundreds of songs from across the Slavic world and created a small sample remix. You can find it below via the YouTube link.

Concept art

For part of my zine, I wanted to create at least a quick vision of a Slavic character that could potentially exist in the video game industry. I asked a classmate to collaborate on this, and she designed this great character for me.

Since this project is still in progress, I’ll keep this article updated with new photos and more concept art sketches as my research continues to grow and expand.

Polyanna

You can see my concept proposal for a Slavic character in Apex Legends right here! Her name is Polyanna, and she represents everything I believe Slavic culture stands for.

In this article, you’ll find not only the trailers I created to make her story clearer, but also AI-generated images that helped me visualise the direction I was aiming for.

Script and Storyboard

As the project continued, I realised it was too vague to design a character without a proper lore. So I downloaded Celtx again (a screenplay-writing program) and started developing her story. I named her Polyana, and once the narrative began taking shape, I created a few of my own sketches to help other artists better understand the concept and our direction.

Now I have a full lore screenplay for Polyanna. Based on it, I created a storyboard that’s ready to be animated - so her journey can finally begin.

So… stay tuned!

MANIFESTO!

I want to call on all Eastern Europeans to join this idea: bringing a Slavic character into a AAA video game and using that opportunity to introduce our rich culture to the world. Only this way can we build new bridges and truly unite for something positive.

We all know what we have to offer - but in my honest opinion, it’s our responsibility to educate and show the world who we really are. Let’s fill games with the ribbons of our culture, and welcome people into our world.

Last but not least, I want to call on all game developers and designers to join this journey - because it’s only just beginning. We are here, and we’re ready to support your next projects with inspiration for new environments, characters, and stories.

If you’re reading this right now, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m ready to show you this world.

PSA

Since this project is still in progress, this page will be updated again soon with Polyana’s story and everything connected to it—such as an animated trailer, concept art, and a direct integration into the Apex Legends lore universe.

Stay tuned!

Until then, I’d like to say: Look for the ribbons.

See you soon!

After I successfully graduated with this project as part of my Master’s degree, I kept thinking about one thing: cultures - no matter how big or influential - are equal, and they should respect one another. Only through dignity and peace can we reach our dreams.