Gaming with Emojis: A Look at Different Strategies of Emoji Inclusion in the Design of Digital Games

This theoretical study explores the strategies of emoji implementation in digital games, influenced by emojis’ cute aesthetics. The effects of the Cute have been discussed from two perspectives. While some consider it as a sweet coating around the bitter pills of everyday life under capitalism, others regard it as a true mental refuge, capable of teasing, harshness and seriousness. By categorising emojis’ functions in digital games into five groups (personification, aesthetic substitution, doubling the fun, instrumentalization, and self-enhancement), it will be posited that sometimes emojis’ function is primarily rooted in their solacing power, and that at other times their role is more directly tied to reinforcing the rationale behind the capitalist market. Their role in personification (Emoji Quest), aesthetic substitution (Disney Emoji Blitz) and doubling the fun (Emoji Kitchen – DIY Emoji Mix) aligns with the comforting power of the Cute. Meanwhile, their role in instrumentalization (Emoji Clickers) and self-enhancement (Mirror Fun Emoji Face Stickers) can bolster ideological components of the capitalist market, namely greed and self-obsession.