This is an summary for a course in “Digital kultur och teknik” (Digital Culture and technology) where we where to write a synopsis of two seminars held at HUMlab during the fall of 2008. This is the first seminar which I choose to write about because it concerns World Of Warcraft a virtual world I’m very familiar with, the subject being queer theory and virtual worlds which was a new concept for me…but here goes…my synopsis of the seminar.
Desires at play; queering World of Warcraft
The seminar touched on male and female aspects in computer games and the evolution of avatars. One of the first things discussed was the transition from Avatar 1.0 to Avatar 2.0 in the virtual worlds (Lisa Nakamura 2007).
This is in line with the paradigm shift from web1.0 to web2.0 so of course Avatars have changed, having more freedom of texturallity and by extension sexuality.
Narratologists, who understand games as story media with narrative possibilities, explore games as esthetic objects and media text have their counterpart in ludologists, who approach games as games, with a critical eye on rules and goals, focusing on incentives and structured game play. Ludologists maintain that games are played rather than read or watched: the player partakes of the game.
Recent studies have shown that female gamers have better spatial skills, which may lead to more women working in engineering and mathematics.
Modern games often engage the user to a point where they respond physically to in-game stimulate, rather than just emotionally.
Different types of games employ different ways of moving, according to Diane Carr (2006). In the horror game Silent Hill, avatars are restricted by the possibility of a linear-only progression, creating a sense of horror and paranoia. Players are effected emotionally and can become scared in the real world.
In a fantasy game like World of Warcraft the game is more a reflective journey – the quest for a solution, resolution or exploration – often encompassing extensive tours and detours across the landscape.
Gender in games, specifically feminist and queer theory, hasn’t been explored until now. Hetronormative gender analysis can give a multilayered but somewhat limited view of in-game femininity. The example used in the lecture involved a female troll in World of Warcraft standing on a beach and then undressing down to her underwear to go swimming. The typical war equipment that the troll was wearing was masculine. The undressing, removing the wargear, could be interpreted as a strip performance and feminine, and typically demeaning. Another female troll avatar arrives at the beach, this triggers a response in first player; a feminine need to cover-up. No attention will be given to her heart racing in excitement. This may be interpreted as excitement for the upcoming event battle or another happening.
Over-sexuality turns women’s bodies into objects for straight male gamers, for a typical heterosexual perspective. Why this is a problem is seldom addressed, this stems from an understanding of the relationship between gamer and avatar. Lara Croft is a typical representation of a feminine avatar, which alienates both men and women from the character. Her body is a powerful subject not only a object. She is the heroin and the focus of the game. There are only two types of genders, typically available, biological male or female. So what’s not feminine female could only be masculine male. If gender is bipolar how can we understand female masculinity, highfem femininity taking to extremes of a lesbian perspective and the gender positions of transgender people.
Sexuality is problematic. The straight gender analyses tips feminist into masculinity and back. Queer reading will stick with the multiple and contradictory meanings and sexual relationship of bodies and their relationship and possible queerness.
The gaming world is dominated by a male presence. Men almost always introduce women to gaming, which is almost always viewed as a male domain. Even female avatars are commonly viewed as male players. Female players have only two options: abstinence, or using a super sexy avatar.
Social spaces are constructed with a certain type of bodies in mind. The body, in this case the avatar, must orientate itself toward some object (Sara Alvmed 2007). Social spaces presume that being comfortable is a state of being. What happens when the bodies don’t fit:”a failure that we can describe as a ‘queering’ of space”
Moving through Azeroth (the game world of World of Warcraft) a heterosexual world, avatars can’t interact with touch, no hugging after a battle. Avatars can strip down to their underwear and have a preprogrammed dance. The female night elf has a pole dance routine which is typical of a heterosexual approach.
In World of Warcraft both female and male avatars are equally powerful a vehicle. This was not always the case in earlier games. Different player avatars will generate different experiences, for the player. This based on the player themselves and the other players/avatars they interact with in the virtual world. The size difference between male and female avatars is very pronounced, males being larger than females. A smaller avatar looks like it’s moving with greater ease than at larger heavier model, even though that’s not the chase in game statistics
The females of popular races (human and elf) regularly get sexual attention and get harassed. Orcs and trolls don’t have this problem. The undead female is a counterweight to the busty “standard” female game model, as she doesn’t have a “normal” look – undead are gaunt and skeletal with bones protruding through the skin.
