Research on Group Identity Based on the "Heart of Democracy" Event in HELLDIVERS 2

With the rise of online gaming community culture, this paper takes the HELLDIVERS 2 "Heart of Democracy" event as a case study. Employing content analysis, comparative analysis, and survey methods, this paperit explores the formation and impact of group identity among players participating in narrative-driven events. The research finds that the event provided a space for constructing sites of memory, guiding players to spontaneously build cross-cultural sites of memory, thereby forming a cross-cultural collective identity. The event effectively spurred a surge in active Steam players, significantly increased discussion volume of related videos on Bilibili, and enhanced community activity. Core controversies surrounding the event centered on player dissatisfaction with the developer's preset narrative, leading to opposition between the community and the developer. The conclusion indicates that the event achieved promotional success by constructing cross-cultural identity through historical intertextuality. However, it highlighted communication issues between creators and the community, offering insights for related cultural industries.