Standing on the shoulders of giants: A semiotic analysis of Assassin’s Creed 2

Abstract

This chapter presents a semiotic analysis of the video game Assassings Creed 2, based on the analytical method developed by Roland Barthes. The game is analyzed according to the series of actions, enigmas, semes, symbols, and cultural references found in it. In particular, from a symbolic perspective, the game is seen as a meta-game, representing in itself the experience of gaming, and as a psychoanalytic session, guiding the main character (and the player with him) in a journey in his unconscious.