Representations of Welsh accents in video games contribute to a broader issue of accentism, where certain dialects are unfairly depicted and discriminated against. This problem is exacerbated when these portrayals shape public perceptions, reinforcing outdated and prejudiced views. Historically, Welsh characters in British media have often been stereotyped as “daft Welshmen” or overly simplistic rural folk. These stereotypes have deep roots in English literature and theatre traditions. For example, Gillian E. Brennan, in her article “The Cheese and the Welsh: Foreigners in Elizabethan Literature,” discusses how such stereotypes, including the Welsh proclivity for toasted cheese, were used to other and marginalize them in Elizabethan England.[7] Brennan examines how John Rastell’s A Hundred Merry Talys (1526) includes a joke about the Welsh and their fondness for caws pobi (‘baked cheese’, also known somewhat derisively as Welsh rarebit), reflecting broader societal attitudes that viewed the Welsh as comically peculiar and inferior. This stereotype persisted, reinforcing the notion of Welsh culture as quaint and odd.
In Henry IV, Part 1 (1597), Shakespeare introduces Owen Glendower, a Welsh nobleman and rebel leader, who is portrayed as a complex character. Glendower’s mystical and eccentric air, along with his belief in supernatural phenomena and his own magical powers, invites scepticism and amusement from the English characters. His speech, grandiose and filled with references to Welsh mythology and folklore, sets him apart from the more grounded English characters. In The Merry Wives of Windsor (1602), Shakespeare’s character Sir Hugh Evans, a Welsh parson, is depicted with a comic accent and bumbling mannerisms, reflecting an Elizabethan tendency to view the Welsh as quaint and humorous. His speech is characterized by mispronunciations and a heavy Welsh accent, such as pronouncing “pray” as “bray,” and his dialogue includes malapropisms and grammatical errors, reinforcing the stereotype of the Welsh as quaint and somewhat bumbling. Despite this, Evans is depicted as a kind and well-meaning character, adding a layer of affection to his portrayal.

Shakespeare’s use of Welsh characters and their distinctive speech patterns reflects the broader Elizabethan view of the Welsh as both admirable and laughable. The verbal tics and peculiarities of Evans and Glendower serve to highlight their Welsh identity, providing comic relief in the case of Evans and a touch of exoticism and mysticism in the case of Glendower. Through these characters, Shakespeare captures the dual perception of the Welsh as both endearing and otherworldly. These literary stereotypes have evolved but persist in modern media, including British sitcoms and dramas. Shows like Little Britain (2003-06) and Gavin & Stacey (2007-19) often feature Welsh characters that embody these outdated tropes, perpetuating the notion of the Welsh as simple-minded or unusual. This continuation of accentism in media not only perpetuates stereotypes but also reinforces societal biases. Such portrayals can influence how Welsh people are viewed in broader societal contexts, leading to real-world implications such as social prejudice and discrimination in various fields, including employment and education [8].

Whereas many British texts elucidate the subordinate dynamics of Wales, Welsh literature and arts often reflect themes of resistance and bear the assertion of a distinct national identity. In Postcolonial Wales, Jane Aaron and Chris Williams explore how contemporary Welsh writing engages with postcolonial themes, challenging dominant narratives and reclaiming Welsh voices [9]. They discuss how the devolution process and the establishment of the Welsh Assembly (now Senedd Cymru) in 1999 are seen as steps towards addressing historical grievances and reasserting Welsh autonomy. Aaron and Williams frame devolution as a postcolonial struggle for self-determination and cultural revival, highlighting the ways in which Welsh national identity has been shaped by historical and political developments. This analysis indicates the parallels between the Welsh experience and other postcolonial contexts [10]. In Writing Wales, from the Renaissance to Romanticism, Stewart Mottram and Sarah Prescott, for example, highlight how Welsh history and literature reflect broader postcolonial themes, such as cultural resilience and the negotiation of identity within an imperial framework.

Extant Scholarship

Postcolonial theory, with its focus on the effects of colonialism and the struggle for identity, has been increasingly applied to video games to analyse how these digital spaces reflect, perpetuate, or challenge colonial narratives. Scholars such as Adrienne Shaw and Soraya Murray have been at the forefront of integrating postcolonial perspectives into game studies. Shaw, in Gaming at the Edge: Sexuality and Gender at the Margins of Gamer Culture, explores how video games can both reflect and resist hegemonic structures, including those related to colonial histories and identities [11]. Shaw’s work examines the marginalization of certain groups within gamer culture, including those affected by the legacies of colonialism, and calls for more inclusive and representative game design. Murray’s On Video Games: The Visual Politics of Race, Gender and Space provides a comprehensive analysis of how video games serve as a battleground for visual politics, where issues of race, gender, and colonial history are played out. Murray employs postcolonial theory to critique the ways in which video games often reproduce colonialist ideologies through their narratives, character representations, and world-building. She argues that games such as Assassin’s Creed III (Ubisoft, 2012) and Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft, 2012) are embedded with colonialist discourses that position Western viewpoints as dominant, while Indigenous cultures are often exoticized or depicted as adversaries. Murray’s work underscores the importance of critically engaging with video games to understand how they can both perpetuate and challenge postcolonial narratives. Postcolonial theory, hence, reveals the nuanced ways in which video games function as cultural artifacts that mirror broader societal struggles over identity, representation, and power. These analyses not only highlight the problematic aspects of video game content but also point to the potential for video games to become platforms for resistance and the reassertion of marginalized voices. By applying postcolonial theory to video games, scholars like Shaw and Murray enrich the discourse on digital media, providing insights into how these virtual spaces can reflect and reshape postcolonial realities.

In the context of postcolonial Wales, the struggle for identity is vividly played out in the arena of mass media, including emerging platforms such as video games. David M. Barlow’s chapter “What's in the ‘Post’? Mass Media as a ‘Site of Struggle’ in Postcolonial Wales” underscores how mass media serves as a battleground where competing narratives about Welsh identity clash [12]. Barlow situates this struggle within the historical backdrop of Wales’s subjugation under the British Empire and examines the lingering influence of these colonial legacies on contemporary media representations. He argues that mass media, encompassing both English-language and Welsh-language outlets, is crucial for understanding and negotiating the tensions between the drive for a distinct national identity and the homogenizing pressures of British media. Williams, in “Problematising Wales: An Exploration in Historiography and Postcoloniality,” echoes this sentiment by challenging traditional historiography that marginalizes Welsh experiences [13]. He advocates for re-evaluating historical perspectives to include diverse and nuanced voices, thus critiquing the power dynamics that have shaped Welsh historiography and identity. Similarly, Dylan Phillips, in “A New Beginning or the Beginning of the End? The Welsh Language in Postcolonial Wales,” highlights the role of media representation in the revitalization efforts for the Welsh language [14]. He critically assesses whether these efforts signify a genuine revival or merely postpone its decline, emphasizing the importance of innovative media strategies in ensuring the language’s survival as a cornerstone of Welsh identity.

Iwan Bala’s “Horizon Wales: Visual Art and the Postcolonial” situates these concerns within the realm of visual art explicitly, exploring how Welsh visual art contributes to shaping a postcolonial identity that resists assimilation into broader British or global narratives [15]. Bala emphasizes the role of visual art in negotiating and articulating Welsh identity, calling for greater recognition and support for Welsh cultural expressions within the media landscape. Bala’s work has strong implications for considering the intersection of art and postcolonial resistance. These are implications that are taken up in more general scholarship on the power-laden landscape of media representation. Barlow’s examination of Wales’s first Venice Biennale exhibition, Further, in 2003, for example, reveals how media events and controversies reflect broader societal struggles over identity [16]. He discusses how entities like the BBC often complicate the media’s role in shaping a cohesive Welsh identity by failing to clearly define Wales’s status. Barlow’s use of the concept of in-betweenness highlights the complexities of Welsh identity as it navigates between colonial legacies and contemporary pressures, making mass media—and by extension, video games—a critical site for understanding and challenging these dynamics.