Violence, Sexualization, and Otherness : An Analysis on the Representation of Transgender Characters in Video Games
Wiik, Joona (2023-12-01)
Violence, Sexualization, and Otherness : An Analysis on the Representation of Transgender Characters in Video Games
(01.12.2023)
Julkaisu on tekijänoikeussäännösten alainen. Teosta voi lukea ja tulostaa henkilökohtaista käyttöä varten. Käyttö kaupallisiin tarkoituksiin on kielletty.
avoin
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on:
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe20231204151239
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe20231204151239
Tiivistelmä
Transgender characters have appeared in video games from the late 1980s up to the modern day. As transgender representation has surged in mainstream games during the latest decade, an interest has been raised in exploring and categorizing the various forms and trends of transgender representation. During this study, a content survey was conducted in order to collect an archive of 120 transgender and gender non-conforming characters in video games. The archive is then utilized to research different attitudes and stereotypes directed towards the transgender community. The main contribution of this research is in cataloguing which narrative character roles are given to the subjects, which stereotypes are the most common, and how often transphobia plays a part in the representation of gender minorities.
The study reveals that the popularity of explicit transgender representation is slowly gaining a foothold within the mainstream video game industry – although the majority of representation still comes from independent releases. The greater part of representation is focused on transgender women, although transgender men and genderqueer characters have also gained visibility in recent years . Especially when analyzing older games, one-sided stereotypes and narrow character roles are common in portrayals of transgender characters. The majority of representations were found to include various forms of transphobia. The most common stereotypes discovered included depicting transfeminine characters as villains, sexual predators, and sex workers. Other common themes included depictions of victimization, otherness, physical transition, and perceived comicality of the transgender body. Although transgender men were found to be notably absent from earlier representations, similar themes were found in connection with the more recent transmasculine portrayals – although less commonly than with transfeminine characters. Genderqueer characters were most commonly portrayed as friendly non-human sidekicks or playable genderless creatures. However, a clear escalation towards more diverse character narratives were found during the latest years.
The study reveals that the popularity of explicit transgender representation is slowly gaining a foothold within the mainstream video game industry – although the majority of representation still comes from independent releases. The greater part of representation is focused on transgender women, although transgender men and genderqueer characters have also gained visibility in recent years . Especially when analyzing older games, one-sided stereotypes and narrow character roles are common in portrayals of transgender characters. The majority of representations were found to include various forms of transphobia. The most common stereotypes discovered included depicting transfeminine characters as villains, sexual predators, and sex workers. Other common themes included depictions of victimization, otherness, physical transition, and perceived comicality of the transgender body. Although transgender men were found to be notably absent from earlier representations, similar themes were found in connection with the more recent transmasculine portrayals – although less commonly than with transfeminine characters. Genderqueer characters were most commonly portrayed as friendly non-human sidekicks or playable genderless creatures. However, a clear escalation towards more diverse character narratives were found during the latest years.