▶ Who is Alexander Sylazhov and what is this site about?
This is a space where I explore my passion for writing fiction (novels, short stories and poetry), translation and videogame localization, as well as Russian culture, mainly its portrayal in videogames. While current events make discussing Russia a sensitive topic, this blog takes no political stances. Instead, I focus on analyzing how Russians are represented in games and diving into the beauty of Russian language, poetry, and literature.
Join me in exploring these cultural aspects with curiosity and respect, as we look at Russia through the lens of art, gaming, and translation!
For more information on the author and the contents of this site, please refer to this section.
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What can I find in the BOOKS section?
My books can be purchased at the ‘BOOKS’ section. In each book page you can also download free samples in various formats. My current literary body comprises mainly the Loynne's Island Trilogy, which consists of three novels: SOVREV, SADIE and MORDEN. SOVREV is currently being re-written after abandoning its earlier version, SOVREV: The Faith Endeavor and improving it into just SOVREV. However, both the original SOVREV: The Faith Endeavor and its Abridged Edition may still be bought, I simply no longer endorse them as I consider them simply obsolete versions, but I'd like to leave them still up for purchase in case people are curious about my early attempts at novels. The rest of my literary body of work are short stories, short story collections and poems.
▶ What is the ROMANOV section?
The ‘ROMANOV’ section (standing for "Russian-Originated Media Archetypes & Narratives in Occidental Videogames") is an archive of videogame titles that explores how Russian culture, identity, and stereotypes are portrayed in videogames developed primarily by Western (Occidental) studios. This analytical archive documents recurring characters, narratives, visual tropes, and ideological frameworks through which Russian-originated identities are represented, providing insight into cultural perceptions, biases, and the broader impact of interactive media on cross-cultural understanding. This archive identifies recurring characters, narratives, visual tropes, and ideological frameworks through which Russian-originated identities are depicted, offering insights into cultural perceptions, biases, and the broader role interactive media plays in shaping cross-cultural understanding.
For the sake of analytical coherence and also simplicity, Japanese-developed videogames are also included, as their representations frequently align with Western cultural perspectives and stereotypes regarding Russians, not to mention, many of them are directed to a Western audience or reference Hollywood stereotypes directly.
Join me in exploring these cultural aspects with curiosity and respect, as we look at Russia through the lens of art, gaming, and translation!
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What can I find in the ARTICLES section?
Articles may be read at the ‘ARTICLES’ section. The articles deal mostly with videogame localization and translation, as well as Russian portrayals in videogames, diving deep into how Russia and the former Soviet Union are represented in them.
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What can I find in the NEWS section?
All important news of the site (and of references made to it in other sites) may be read at the ‘NEWS’ section.
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What can I find in the DOWNLOADS section?
In the 'DOWNLOADS' section you can find downloadable content, artwork, wallpapers, avatars, banners, maps, etc.
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What is Loynne's Island?
Loynne’s Island is a fictional location, where the story of SOVREV, SADIE and MORDEN take place. It is an opulent island nation in the North Atlantic Ocean, the new navel of the Western World and flagship to its most luxurious, lavish lifestyle. But... could there be more to Loynne’s Island than we might realize at first glance? What secrets might it hold? Read on to find out!
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Is all of your content copyrighted?
Alexander Sylazhov is, aside from the author's pseudonym, a commercial brand protected by Spanish coypright law and holds the protected services to (under class 09, 16 and 41) downloadable publications (class 09), printed publications (class 16) and electronic book, journals and newspapers online, aside from book publishing and editing.
SOVREV: The Faith Endeavor and its derivatives is protected by Spanish copyright law.
Regarding Internet articles and essays, the author acknowledges that the copyright owners of the photographs of personalities, historical events, videogames, motion pictures and concept artwork that have been used in said essays are purely non-profit, freely distributed and for purposes of commentary, criticism, and scholarship under the Fair Use Doctrine.
All original content is Alexander Sylazhov intellectual property.
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I'd like to reference or cite the author's work. Are there copyright issues?
Feel free to reference or cite my work, but please respect copyright laws and authorship, as well as citation conventions. You can also contact me directly for permission if you're uncertain.
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How can I contact the author?
Please feel free to reach out to express what you think about the site! If you have ideas for improvement, want to provide feedback, see certain games or themes analyzed, or would like to request a written interview with the author, you may do so here!.
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Is this site or any of your social media monetized? Do you get ad revenue?
This blog is connected to Adsense, the rest of the social media associated to Alexander Sylazhov, including Youtube, are not currently monetized.
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Do you accept donations? How can I support your work?
Of course! I'd feel very glad and honored should anyone choose to contribute to support my work. Most of my content is not monetized, only this blog is connected to Adsense. I have a Patreon page and Buy Me a Coffee page. For Russian speakers, I also have Boosty.