Dressing Commander Shepard in pink: Queer playing in a heteronormative game culture
This article explores the strategies of queer playing of video games and their relationship to the heteronormative game culture. Its premise is that most video games are, either implicitly or explicitly, heteronormative and the inscribed player of such games is in the majority of cases a heterosexua...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Masaryk University
2015-10-01
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| Series: | Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberpspace |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://cyberpsychology.eu/article/view/4342 |
| _version_ | 1797248133009244160 |
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| author | Tereza Krobová Ondřej Moravec Jaroslav Švelch |
| author_facet | Tereza Krobová Ondřej Moravec Jaroslav Švelch |
| author_sort | Tereza Krobová |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article explores the strategies of queer playing of video games and their relationship to the heteronormative game culture. Its premise is that most video games are, either implicitly or explicitly, heteronormative and the inscribed player of such games is in the majority of cases a heterosexual male. In order to achieve the same level of identification with an avatar and to enjoy a similar gameplay experience as the heterosexual player, the LGBT player may have to deploy various strategies to challenge the game and work around it, or to find the LGBT content which some more progressive games offer. The study is based on in-depth qualitative interviews with six players (5 males and 1 female) who identified themselves both as homosexual and as players of the Mass Effect or Dragon Age series, games that include several opportunities to initiate same-sex romance. We have identified three different queer playing strategies: imaginative play (queer reading of unspecified or heterosexual characters), stylized performance (the use of gay stereotypes to mark one as queer) and role-playing of a LGBT character. However, players do not seek sexuality in games to the same extent as they do in film or TV, and they tend to use these strategies, and especially the latter two, reluctantly or with reservations. These reservations may be linked to our finding that LGBT players consider their gay (or lesbian) identities disconnected from their identities as players or gamers. This can be explained by the mutual exclusivity of gay communities and the heteronormative game culture. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T20:09:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3af44cc3eca8452591fbc940d0d1b4ee |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1802-7962 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T20:09:44Z |
| publishDate | 2015-10-01 |
| publisher | Masaryk University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberpspace |
| spelling | doaj.art-3af44cc3eca8452591fbc940d0d1b4ee2024-03-23T13:15:14ZengMasaryk UniversityCyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberpspace1802-79622015-10-019310.5817/CP2015-3-3Dressing Commander Shepard in pink: Queer playing in a heteronormative game cultureTereza KrobováOndřej MoravecJaroslav ŠvelchThis article explores the strategies of queer playing of video games and their relationship to the heteronormative game culture. Its premise is that most video games are, either implicitly or explicitly, heteronormative and the inscribed player of such games is in the majority of cases a heterosexual male. In order to achieve the same level of identification with an avatar and to enjoy a similar gameplay experience as the heterosexual player, the LGBT player may have to deploy various strategies to challenge the game and work around it, or to find the LGBT content which some more progressive games offer. The study is based on in-depth qualitative interviews with six players (5 males and 1 female) who identified themselves both as homosexual and as players of the Mass Effect or Dragon Age series, games that include several opportunities to initiate same-sex romance. We have identified three different queer playing strategies: imaginative play (queer reading of unspecified or heterosexual characters), stylized performance (the use of gay stereotypes to mark one as queer) and role-playing of a LGBT character. However, players do not seek sexuality in games to the same extent as they do in film or TV, and they tend to use these strategies, and especially the latter two, reluctantly or with reservations. These reservations may be linked to our finding that LGBT players consider their gay (or lesbian) identities disconnected from their identities as players or gamers. This can be explained by the mutual exclusivity of gay communities and the heteronormative game culture.https://cyberpsychology.eu/article/view/4342Video gamesLGBT communityheteronormativityqueer playinggender |
| spellingShingle | Tereza Krobová Ondřej Moravec Jaroslav Švelch Dressing Commander Shepard in pink: Queer playing in a heteronormative game culture Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberpspace Video games LGBT community heteronormativity queer playing gender |
| title | Dressing Commander Shepard in pink: Queer playing in a heteronormative game culture |
| title_full | Dressing Commander Shepard in pink: Queer playing in a heteronormative game culture |
| title_fullStr | Dressing Commander Shepard in pink: Queer playing in a heteronormative game culture |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dressing Commander Shepard in pink: Queer playing in a heteronormative game culture |
| title_short | Dressing Commander Shepard in pink: Queer playing in a heteronormative game culture |
| title_sort | dressing commander shepard in pink queer playing in a heteronormative game culture |
| topic | Video games LGBT community heteronormativity queer playing gender |
| url | https://cyberpsychology.eu/article/view/4342 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT terezakrobova dressingcommandershepardinpinkqueerplayinginaheteronormativegameculture AT ondrejmoravec dressingcommandershepardinpinkqueerplayinginaheteronormativegameculture AT jaroslavsvelch dressingcommandershepardinpinkqueerplayinginaheteronormativegameculture |