Virtual Appalachia: The Representation of Appalachian Environment, Culture, and People in Interactive Entertainment

Media representations of Appalachia on television, film, and in literature influence the perception of both the region and the people of the region for those that are otherwise unfamiliar with the realities of Appalachia. We have focused on these examples of media representation in many ways throughout the years in works including The Beverly Hillbillies, Deliverance (film and novel), and most recently in the way Appalachia is portrayed by J.D. Vance in Hillbilly Elegy. Since these media formats came into existence and widespread adoption nearly a century ago for television, much earlier of course for literature, their power to depict Appalachia to the audience is obvious. The representation of Appalachia in interactive entertainment, or video games, has more recent roots and its role as a setting in major releases is only now becoming a reality. This paper studies the portrayals of Appalachia or fictional representations of the region in interactive entertainment, primarily in Kentucky Route Zero, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Fallout 76. This research will continue to increase our understanding into how media representations of Appalachia and similar rural environments shape public perception of the region’s environment, culture, and people at a national and global level