Dušan Stamenković, University of Niš, Serbia and Iryna Pinich, Kyiv National Linguistic University, Ukraine
published in the Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Love and Relationship Studies, 6-8 March, 2026
Introduction
This paper explores how familial relationships are built, challenged, and reimagined through language and gameplay in the cooperative video game It Takes Two. While friendship, romance, and teamwork have often been examined in linguistic (Manchen & Hohenstein, 2012; Kövecses, 1995; Panasenko et al., 2013; Tannen, 1984) and media research (Boyd, 2014; Illouz, 1997; Nardi & Harris, 2006), family bonds traditionally associated with care, obligation, and love, remain underexplored in linguistic research. Games like It Takes Two, centred on a divorcing couple who must cooperate to save their relationship, offer material for studying how family dynamics are enacted through both words and actions (cf. Yao, 2023).
This study uses the video game It Takes Two to investigate how family roles and emotional bonds are constructed across different modes, dialogue, visual elements, sound, and interactive mechanics, and how these elements work together to mediate moments of conflict, negotiation, and reconciliation.
The study has two explicit aims: to demonstrate the relevance of video games as legitimate sites of inquiry for the study of family communication, and to examine how linguistic and multimodal resources work together to construct, challenge, and renegotiate family roles and bonds in It Takes Two. Beyond identifying family bonds and roles, this study aims to contribute to broader discussions on how interactive media shape contemporary understandings of intimacy, care, conflict, and reconciliation.
Methodology and Method
The study examines the selected excerpts from in-game dialogues in It Takes Two and video recordings of gameplay sequences that require cooperation between the two protagonists. The analysis combines qualitative discourse analysis with multimodal analysis that game studies and semiotics employ in their research (e.g. Bateman et al., 2017; Ensslin & Balteiro, 2019; Hawreliak, 2018; Stamenković & Wildfeuer, 2021). We examined linguistic features such as turn-taking, pronoun use, emotion-laden expressions, and conflict markers, alongside visual design, character embodiment, spatial positioning, music, and game mechanics (e.g. joint problem-solving and synchronized movement) to show how different semiotic resources participate in meaning-making related to the portrayal of family bonds and roles.
Highlights of Results
The results of the study demonstrate that It Takes Two systematically encodes interdependence, emotional tension, and repair through both language and gameplay. In the opening scenes, the parents’ dialogue reveals a breakdown in mutual understanding, marked by blame, emotional distancing, and references to obligation rather than affection (“that’s not fair,” “why do you always blame me”). As the game progresses, communicative cues shift from confrontational to cooperative, while game mechanics remain cooperative from the start. Praise and compliments (e.g., “Good job,” “You got that right”) are paired with moments of shared joy and engagement (e.g., “This feels great,” “I love to hang out with her”), gradually restoring the emotional bond between the pair. Thus, through this interplay of linguistic, visual, and mechanical cues, the game presents family dynamics as an interpersonal process rather than a permanent structure. Family bonds and roles emerge not as stable or predetermined (e.g. mother/father, right/wrong, strong/weak, always loving/supporting), but as fluid and continuously renegotiated through conflict, humour, vulnerability, and cooperation.
Discussion and Conclusions
The study present evidence that contemporary video games such as It Takes Two offer powerful frameworks for rethinking family, intimacy, and emotional labour in the digital age. The analysis of data demonstrates that family relationships in the game are not portrayed as predetermined by social roles or biological ties, but as communicative and collaborative achievements that must be actively maintained, negotiated, and repaired. In It Takes Two, game mechanics ostensibly secure and facilitate an understanding of how family bonds are shaped, while communicative behaviour both complements and tests these bonds. The game shifts the experiential focus of family relationships from idealised narratives or dissatisfaction rooted in routine, emotional distance, and obligations toward a model based on collaboration, emotional engagement, and renewed commitment.
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