Reshaping the Battlefield: The International Committee of the Red Cross, Video Games, and Public Relations

Abstract

Although the use of video games to achieve public relations (PR) goals is not new, there is limited extant research that analyzes such projects using PR theory or that takes into account organizations’ roles in their development. This study addresses this gap through an examination of the International Committee of the Red Cross's (ICRC) development of a creative mode called LifeRun within the global gaming phenomenon Fortnite. I argue that LifeRun must be analyzed as a strategic communication game and draw on critical PR theory to examine its use to reshape narratives of war in gaming. Using in-depth interviews, organizational documents, and media interviews, I analyze the organization's motivations and goals for developing LifeRun, the ways in which PR considerations shaped the project, and its implications for practical and scholarly work in this area.