The subject of the study is the mechanisms of cross-cultural translation of gaming memes as polycode phenomena of digital communication functioning at the junction of verbal and visual semiotic systems in a globalized gaming discourse. The focus is on the processes of circulation, adaptation and reinterpretation of memetic content between different linguistic and cultural communities, as well as their impact on the formation of transnational communication practices in the gaming environment. The aim of the work is to study the patterns of intercultural adaptation of game memes through a multidimensional analysis of their semiotic (the ratio of verbal and iconic components), thematic and pragmatic (communicative functions and usage strategies) characteristics. The research aims to identify specific mechanisms that ensure the successful translation of memes between different cultural contexts, as well as to determine their role as the most important mediators of intercultural interaction in game communities. When considering memes as a universal language of cross-cultural interaction in the context of game discourse, their integrative and differentiating functions in the formation of a hybrid identity of gaming communities are analyzed. Based on the synthesis of discourse analysis and visual semiotics, the life cycle of a meme is determined and described from its origin in a local context to adaptation in a foreign language environment. Special attention is paid to the factors of successful cross-cultural adaptation, as well as cases of conflict of interpretations, demonstrating the boundaries of intercultural understanding. The scientific novelty lies in the study of the mechanisms of cultural hybridization of memetic content during its transition between different linguistic and cultural communities, as well as their role in the formation of a transnational gaming identity. The results of the study make it possible to clarify the understanding of the dynamics of the formation of the global gaming cultural code and the role of memes in the processes of digital localization and intercultural communication in gaming. The data obtained can be used both by gaming companies to improve cross-cultural interaction in communities, and by academic researchers in the study of modern media practices. The main conclusions of the study indicate that gaming memes perform a dual function in the modern digital space: on the one hand, acting as the universal language of the global gaming community due to the visual recognition of basic patterns and game references, on the other – preserving cultural specificity through the variability of verbal components and local contexts of interpretation.
Khokhlova et al. (Sun,) studied this question.