Left 4 Dead depicts classic authoritarian rhetoric. The basis for this statement comes from a combination of rhetoric and game studies. The game creates the type of environment that authoritarian rhetoric has always relied upon, an environment that players cannot reject without avoiding the game entirely.

Authoritarian rhetoric has a number of well-defined features, one of which is the metaphor of the jungle. To persuade others to accept obedience without question, an authoritarian rhetor will depict a hostile and malicious world. The audience lives in a world that will consume them at the slightest sign of weakness, for enemies on all sides beset them. Response to threats must be immediate, for the predators do not suffer from delay or hesitance. There is no time for debate; the best chance of survival comes from obedience to the strongest among the group.

Game studies couples the model of authoritarian rhetoric to the conception of procedural framing. Games create an imagined space governed by specific rules that constrain and regulate behavior, dealing out rewards and judging failures. This phenomenon becomes most apparent when considering goal rules. Goal rules are those rules that dictate what procedures the player must follow in order to “win” the game (the ultimate reward within the confines of a game). The representation of goal rules is the most blatant element of a game's rhetoric.

Left 4 Dead uses its goal rules and representation to re-create the jungle of authoritarian rhetoric. A small team of players is thrust into the role of survivors in a completely hostile world. In Left 4 Dead’s zombie apocalypse, everyone is out to kill the survivors. The enemy is everywhere, unflinching, unhesitating, and oblivious to reason or rapport. The players’ only contact with allies comes at the end of the game, when the survivors reach a rescue point. Until then, enemies constantly require immediate and unified response from the team of survivors to avoid the failure state of death.

The critical piece of Left 4 Dead’s rhetoric is its deployment of tempo. There is no time for the team to debate when confronted with a sudden tank or horde attack, which the game is programmed to unleash if the players move too cautiously. The demands of tempo vary depending on game mode (with versus being the most demanding), but in all cases fast paced decision-making is required. If no clear command is given in a moment of crisis, or if a player ignores commands, then members of the team will be picked off individually – culminating in a failure state for the entire team. I’ve been part of teams that, when faced with an unexpected tank spawn, fail to stay unified or fight in poor terrain with no leadership. Usually the entire team dies. I’ve also been part of teams where one member dictates a simple strategy, like retreating to favorable terrain, and the team follows without question. Usually the challenge is easily overcome. Even a poor strategy, when carried out in unison, is better than no unified strategy at all. In order to win – to fulfill the goal rules – the players must accept a top-down mode of decision and action, acting out the role of either leader or follower.

In this way, Left 4 Dead demands acceptance of authoritarian political structure. It contains both a representation of a fundamentally hostile reality and rules that channel play through authoritarian procedures. Ultimately, it creates situational acceptance of authoritarianism in those who play to win.