Morteshka

Folklore-Driven Representations of Femininity in Slavic-Coded Video Games: The Figure of Baba Yaga

This paper examines how Baba Yaga, the ambiguous figure of Slavic folklore, is represented in a selection of Slavic-coded video games published or announced between 2015 and 2025.

• The study analyses eight Slavic-coded games released or announced between 2015 and 2025, including Eventide, Yaga, Black Book, Blacktail, Reka, Scarlett Deer Inn, Night is Coming, and The End of the Sun, some assessed via paratext or demos because they remain in production.
• Across the sample, old age is rarely foregrounded even when Baba Yaga appears as a helper; she is often rendered youthful or simply young.
• Where her aged features do appear, they are treated comically or designed to evoke sympathy through frailty.