I Need Somebody to Hold Me Introduction

Jan Berger Introduction

Chapter 1 Fantasy Politics

Chapter 2 Digital Desire

Chapter 3 Queering Up

Conclusion

Bibliography I Need Somebody to Hold Me Introduction

Playing video games is often connected with being ambivalently judged and evalu- ated by others and by oneself, especially while growing up. Having to resist against my parent’s accusations of being unproductive and damaging my eyes from exten- sive gaming, the joyful bliss of diving into fantastic realms of undiscovered digital worlds has always been undermined by looming dangers of the immediacy of capitalist competitiveness and productivity; an adult fear of falling behind into eco- nomic uselessness, versus an unbiased juvenile desire. Having grown up playing games I witnessed tales of love, tragedy and pure hedonism. Japanese Role Play Games (JRPGs) are heavily based on immersive storytelling and character development, and these in particular shaped my personal understanding of abstract images of desire, loss, destruction, community, otherness and healing. Having re- played the same classic RPGs that shaped my childhood, I realised that these very same worlds and characters that will always have a special place in my heart, un- fortunately not only taught me the meaning of valorous virtues, but they also em- anate sociocultural issues. Having been in and out of what I understood as love, experiencing what it means to fail finding acceptance in heteronormative commu- nities, and being confronted with the realities of living in a capitalist society, I find myself now exposed to questionable permeating political ideas while replaying my favourite games. This work aims to especially concentrate on gender clichés and possible causes for their proliferation, patriarchal power relations, the notion of love and (female and queer) representation in these constructed realities and what reaches beyond digital boundaries. I am going to explore the ludic politics of Final Fantasy VI1 , investigate the proliferation of what feminist writer Bell Hooks calls “imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy”2 and how it affects the inhab- itants of these digital worlds in their capability to express emotions, as well as the queer potential of the game itself. The second part of this work tries to reconcile contemporary media with the digital world of Final Fantasy VI. In an attempt to link politics of femininity across decades and different platforms, I am going to talk about the singer Lana Del Rey and the queer implications of her persona, in order to think about new perspectives and representations of femininity in video games.

1 Square Co., Ltd., “Final Fantasy VI“ (Japan: Square Co., Ltd., Super Nintendo Entertainment System, 1994). 2 Bell Hooks, “The Will to Change“ (New York: Washington Square Press, 2005), 17. 5 Chapter One Fantasy Politics

The world of Final Fantasy VI is in danger of being completely colonised by a tech- nologically advanced empire that is ruled by the ruthless emperor Gestahl, along with his general executives. In the opening sequence of the game we are introduced to Terra, one of the game’s female protagonists, who is put under the empire’s control through a contraption called slave crown. Through various events Terra is freed from the empire’s control by Locke, a resistance fighter and self proclaimed treasure hunter (his euphemism for thief), who also suddenly promises to protect her in a good-samaritan fashion (Figure 1). Struggling to defy the empire’s plans, Locke and Terra find other allies during the course of the game. One of the playable female characters is Celes, a former imperial general, who is now accused of being disloyal towards the emperor and especially towards general Kefka (who turns out to be the main antagonist) for speaking out against his cruel methods. Imprisoned and beaten up by male empire goons, Locke manages to free her, subsequently asking her to join the group… and, of course, promising to protect her (Figure 2). The party’s obligation in the first half of the game is to try to liberate the world from the empire and restore peace to the world. During the journey the resistance group witnesses the empire’s sheer brutality and ruthlessness in order to ascend to power. For instance, the poisoning of a whole castle full of innocent, defenceless people or the invasion of the realm of ancient magical creatures called Espers, Chapter 1 subsequently causing their near extinction. In her groundbreaking manifesto Rise of the Videogame Zinesters released in 2012, Anna Anthropy argues „Games are designed by a small, male-dominated culture and marketed to a small, male-dominated audience, which in turn produces the Fantasy Politics next small, male-dominated generation of game designers.”³. Looking at the setting of Final Fantasy VI, Anna Anthropy’s argument holds true to that. With the game’s designers and contributors being overwhelmingly male, the setting and social politics of Final Fantasy VI reflect the image of a masculine fantasy world that has apparently just trickled down from the situation of an “imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy”4 the producers find themselves existing in, and affected by. And while the world of Final Fantasy VI, just like our own world Bell Hooks would suggest, is under the grip of an all male and hyper masculine empire, there are also much more subtle implications of patriarchal influences that infil- trate social interaction, self-concept of the characters and also the mechanics of the game itself. While the empire’s concept is obviously portrayed as evil, Locke is shown to be the classic faultless male hero of the game although he seems to exert a similar kind of imperialist attitude: disguised as an act of benevolence he also enforces a patriarchal hegemony onto the two leading female characters, Terra and Celes, who are introduced by the game as something the artist Angela Washko

3 Anna Anthropy, “Rise of the Videogame Zinesters“ (New York: Seven Stories Press, 2012), 13. 4 Bell Hooks, “The Will to Change“ (New York: Washington Square Press, 2005), 17. 6 7 Chapter One Fantasy Politics would address as “Heroines with Baggage”5. the game’s most iconic lines and his hilarious laughing sound. Instead of keeping his In the beginning of the game the player takes control over a brainwashed Terra, perilous schemes veiled, the player is directly confronted with Kefka’s intentions to who was given the imperial order to raid a mining town. After she snaps out of the wreak havoc and his plan to ascend to power. The way his character is exhibited empire’s control through Locke’s help, she fails to remember where she comes can be compared to performance: in monologues he explains his next steps and from, who she is and what purpose she serves. She is repeatedly portrayed as lost, intrigues, while sometimes manically breaking out in laughter about his own jokes passive and unknowing, while constantly questioning herself and her actions (Fig- or behaviour. ure 3). Additionally, she claims that she feels different to the other people around her and seems to be worried about it. Celes is portrayed in a similar way. When While Kefka is an extremely memorable character, his actions seem to be com- Locke finds her she is also suffering from the empire’s violence, just as Terra. In pletely unreasonable and outright evil, contrary to other villains of the Final Fanta- contrast to her, Celes is shown to be less amnesiac and potentially naive, but rather sy main series, who most of the time have (noble) reasons for their actions. Until the downright pessimistic and generally negative. Whenever one of the two girls men- very end Kefka does not express understandable reasons for his passion of de- tion their disbelief, fear or negativity, Locke is there to emphasise his toxic posi- stroying lives and dreams; it’s rather a purpose in itself. And while I feel a strange tivity and tells them not to worry. Without being asked he proclaims his protectorate kind of sympathy for his character, the game is really explicit to connect his malice over them, and while at first they are reluctant (Celes is pessimistic in regards to to the absence of heteronormativity. His quirkiness and flamboyance, attributes Locke’s ability to protect her), they agree on it and later even rely on his presence. deemed as feminine and weak by patriarchy, are inevitably linked to desire of an- archistic destruction, volatile randomness and sadistic joy of ending innocent Another politically problematic aspect underlies the need to contain the agency of lives. Although the game never explicitly addresses Kefka’s sexual orientation, his “otherness”. Later in the game it is revealed that Terra is the child of a human moth- whimsical performance is often conforming to clichéd notions of effeminate gay er and a magical Esper, which is the reason for her feeling, or rather fear, of being men, for example when demanding his soldiers to clean his boots. Yet, this intricate different, and also the reason behind the empire’s interest in her magical abilities scene implies a duality that resides within Kefka’s character: the masculine domi- and the desire to contain and harness her powers. Celes in fact is also genetically nant general, that orders around his soldiers in a way that alludes to sadomasochis- modified by imperial scientists to inhabit the magical powers that were drained tic practices, and the possibly homosexual effeminate man that is overly sensitive from the colonised Espers. Every attempt of the girls to start a discourse about their about his appearance (Figure 4). Furthermore, the otherness of Kefka occasionally colonised identity, and the implicit negativity and pessimism that would occur in opens up glimpses of queerness in the game, for example when he exclaims that the process is blighted by Locke’s unnerving optimistic nature. While both Terra everyone is “(…) charged up, boys and girls … or whatever…”, which shows, that he and Celes have been exploited by the patriarchal rule of the empire and Terra even obviously does not care about gender binarism (Figure 5). His approach to perfor- enslaved by it, they both found their apparent liberation of patriarchal imprison- mance also allows the game’s producers to explore alternative ways of texting, that ment only to be led into dependence anew. vary from traditional grammatically correct text design choices (Figure 6). I would argue, that Kefka’s character is so memorable and iconic because he enables However, not only the girls’ otherness is portrayed as flawed and undesirable, but glimpses of queer game design, while at the same time sporting patriarchal mascu- also men who do not fit in heteronormative dress-code or resort to flamboyant be- line power.6 He is the only character to show proficient capacity to act within the haviour are exposed in a negative way. As I mentioned earlier, Kefka the emperor’s world of Final Fantasy VI and this queer agency is precisely what makes him so court mage and one of his generals, is revealed to be the main antagonist of the important for the game. game. His appearance is best described as a jester, dressed in multiple layers of colourful robes, while his face is covered with white makeup. Just like Celes, his Bell Hooks suggests that “imperialist white-supremacist capitalist patriarchy” de- otherness also derives from being genetically modified by the empire. Since he was scribes “(…) the interlocking political systems that are the foundation of our na- the first to undergo the procedure, his mental sanity was severely damaged in the tion’s politics.”7 She argues that as a global model of domination it serves as a con- process. His character can be described as maniacal, cruel, irresponsible, cept that everyone can perpetuate, not only men but also women8. To counter the short-tempered, destructive, but also extravagant and humorous: he is famous for negative connotations of otherness the mentioned characters conform to behav-

5 Angela Washko, “Heroines with Baggage“ (online: http://angelawashko.com/section/289344- Heroines-with-Baggage.html, accessed October 2017). The term refers to her ongoing project, which aims to explore negative gender-based clichés in video games through various media. 6 Question: why is queerness only addressed if disguised by extreme patriarchal violence? Baggage alludes to female characters almost always carrying a stigma when introduced to the 7 Bell Hooks, “The Will to Change“ (New York: Washington Square Press, 2005), 17. storyline; quite contrary to male characters. 8 Ibid., 24. 8 9 Chapter One Fantasy Politics iour that affirms and perpetuates patriarchal models of domination. Celes is clear- Both characters were confronted with the “primal loss”15 of their mother, however, ly pushed into feminine passivity, yet she does not resist in sometimes alluding to their lives end up diametrically opposite to each other. Xuela refuses to uncover her former identity as an imperial general, pointing out her masculine attributes; origin and telos, “(…) she avoids love, family, and intimacy and disconnects herself being capable of exerting violence and demonstrating her social status. While Kefka’s from all of those things that would define her.”16, and with that she ultimately refus- appearance and flamboyance do not conform to notions of masculinity, his volatile es to be happy. Terra on the other hand chooses to affirm her need of identity, rage and longing for domination express a patriarchal imposition of power. Terra, purpose as a mother and domestic woman and in the end even surrenders herself however, chooses a radical, different way to cope with her post-colonial identity. to systems of institutional racism, and the white heteronormative undesirability of When the party members become separated from each other halfway through the otherness. At the end of the game all magic vanishes from the world. In a series of game, Terra is found by Celes living in a small town taking care of orphans who lost events Terra chooses to relinquish her paternal legacy as a magical half-Esper, their parents through Kefka. She claims that she lost the will to fight and only wants turning human. It is heavily implied that with being fully human now, “liberated” to care for the town’s children now. She reverts to accepting her social inheritance from her colonial past, she is free to live her life as she wishes, able to find happi- as a woman, gives up the will to fight and turns to being a domestic mother (Figure ness. And whilst I have always thought that the ending is beautiful, as Terra can 7). By doing so, she claims to have found what she was searching for all the time: the finally be free, it also affirms the benefits of colonial rule. affirmation to be able to love as a colonised woman and her “significant other” in life; in this particular case not an untarnished male hero, but innocent children.

In The Queer Art of Failure Jack Halberstam elaborates on Jamaica Kincaid’s work The Autobiography of My Mother (1996) in which the main character and colonised subject Xuela Claudette Richardson “refuses her role as colonized by refusing to be anything at all.”9. “Radical forms of passivity and masochism (…)”, Halberstam argues, “step out of the easy model of a transfer of femininity from mother to daughter.”10. With the death of her mother, Xuela removes herself from receiving the colonised mind that, Kincaid suggests, is passed down oedipally from one generation to another, by radically refusing to be what colonial order offers to her: She refuses to be “a daughter, a wife, and a mother (…), even refusing the category of woman- hood altogether.”11. Halberstam argues, that “(…) her refusal to be is also a refusal to perform the role of other within a system that demands her subjugation.”12. He concludes that Xuela inhabits “a mode of feminism that self-destructs and in doing so brings the edifice of colonial rule down one brick at a time.”13.

One could argue, that Terra and Xuela face a similar situation regarding colonial identity. However, instead of disapproving of identity entirely, Terra affirms her identity as woman and colonised subject and spends the rest of the game, following Halberstam, “(…) nostalgically searching for her lost origin or purposely cre- ating her own telos (…).”14. The children Terra cares for mark her affirmation as a woman and becoming of a mother as well as her subjugation to a colonial system. Figure 1: Locke (left side) vows to protect Terra. to protect vows (left side) 1: Locke Figure

9 Jack Halberstam, “The Queer Art of Failure“ (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2011), 131. 10 Ibid., 131. 14 11 Ibid., 131-132. Ibid., 131. 15 12 Ibid., 132. Ibid., 131. 16 13 Ibid., 133. Ibid., 132. 10 11 Chapter One Fantasy Politics Figure 4: Kefka‘s boots got sandy from walking through the desert, through walking from sandy got boots 4: Kefka‘s Figure clean them. his subordinates so he makes Figure 2: Locke also surprisingly promises to protect Celes. to protect promises also surprisingly 2: Locke Figure Figure 3: Terra questioning herself. This is one of many scenes where scenes where many is one of This herself. questioning Terra 3: Figure future. her vision of a pessimistic she expresses

12 13 Chapter One Fantasy Politics Figure 5: Kefka not only refers to his binary female and male audien - female to his binary refers only not 5: Kefka Figure peers. non- conforming ce, but also to his gender en - Kefka anger: to express uncommon approach rather A 6: Figure design. text usual modes of to step out of producers ables the game‘s Figure 7: Terra develops motherly instincts and loses the will to revolt motherly develops Terra 7: Figure

14 15 Chapter Two Digital Desire

In the previous chapter I explored gendered coercion and rigid disapproval of otherness within the game’s narrative. Given the patriarchal boundaries of the world of Final Fantasy VI I have just discussed, this chapter aims to dissect social interaction between characters, their hopes of fulfilment and their emotional inhi- bitions and insufficiencies. As previously discussed in chapter one, Terra is not only amnesiac but, due to her being raised by the empire and trained to be a weapon, she is desperate to learn the meaning of her existence and the experience of being loved. While there is nothing inherently bad about Terra’s desire to find the meaning of love, the game portrays her not thinking about anything else, to a point where it seems to be out of place and completely staged, and thus connects the expression of emotional needs to femininity (Figure 8). Bell Hooks depicts the status quo as following: “We live in a culture where emotionally starved, deprived females are desperately seeking male love. Our collective hunger is so intense it rends us. And yet we dare not speak it for fear we will be mocked, pitied, shamed.”17. This female emotional starvation and the feeling of being incomplete is continuously shown by Terra. She is shown to be constantly wondering about the topic of love and questioning, whether she is actually able to love someone due to her colonised heritage (Figure 9). Rather than thinking about the possibilities of finding new ways to live in relationships, or finding love outside of maternal nurtur- ing or male subjugation, she turns back to a domestic life that conforms to patri- Chapter 2 archal modes of containment. During the storyline Terra approaches other characters multiple times in her search for answers, but the others, and even Celes, seem to have problems talking about their desires. When Terra asks Celes whether she has ever loved someone, Celes feels mocked and tries to evade the topic, which af- Digital Desire firms Bell Hooks’ argument about the fear of being shamed (Figure 8). I would argue that this reaction can be connected to Celes’ notorious claims of masculine strength and high self-esteem to avoid unveiling her fragility to others. She continuously tries to allude to her position as (ex-)general or, later in the game, she at first refuses to sing in the opera, claiming that she’s no “opera floozy”.

Celes is not alone in her inability to discuss emotional needs and desires in a less superficial way, though, as Locke is also inhibited here. To indicate the impossi- bility of allowing intimacy to grow, the producers of the game implemented a design choice that classifies the characters’ emotional state into what I would describe as “mentally overloaded”. Each one of the major characters, and even Kefka, has a particular sad sprite18 that shows them looking down. Most prominently this sprite is shown when characters are indeed sad or verbally confronted with emotional subjects they cannot cope with. In Locke’s particular case, this sad sprite is com- bined with him not being able to verbally contribute anything to the situation but

17 Bell Hooks, “The Will to Change“ (New York: Washington Square Press, 2005), 1. 18 Here: A two-dimensional pixel-based character model that is situated within a larger scene. The character animation consists of multiple alternating sprites. 16 17 Chapter Two Digital Desire the name of the person he is talking to followed by three dots. The state of not being When Locke rescues Celes from imperial imprisonment, she expresses her doubts able to emotionally partake in intimacy is also a direct consequence of what patriar- about Locke being able to protect her, and that he should rather just leave her to her chy demands of men: Bell Hooks describes that “The first act of violence that pa- fate: the certainty of execution. And while Locke convinced her to accept help and triarchy demands of males is not violence towards women. Instead patriarchy de- join their party, Celes remains a character who has a hard time finding her place mands of all males that they engage in acts of psychic self-mutilation, that they kill within the group. In the game’s famous opera scene, Celes’ dependence on patriar- off the emotional parts of themselves.”19. Hence, Locke’s inability to resolve emo- chal subordination is explored in a parabolic aria. She takes on the role of Maria, a tional situations derives from being out of touch with himself and his feelings (Fig- princess that is forced to marry the opposing kingdom’s prince, even though Maria ure 11). Bell Hooks explains, that for men to perform patriarchal masculinity in is still in love with her lost love prince Ralse. The aria exposes the game’s patriar- order to assert masculine presence it means “to always live the lie” and “to be per- chal politics and Celes’ self concept (Figure 12), and thus subtly perpetuates these petually deprived of an authentic sense of identity and well-being.”20. Furthermore oppressive structures through romanticising concepts of patriarchal masculinity: she connects the permanent state of having to perform patriarchal masculinity with suffering emotional pain, which she addresses as male pain. She states that “This falseness causes males to experience intense emotional pain.” which Oh my hero, so far away now. “Rituals of domination” help to mediate21. Applying Bell Hooks’ explanations, a Will I ever see your smile? Love goes away, like night into day. possible reason for Locke’s patriarchal masculine behaviour and his need to pro- It‘s just a fading dream. tect would also be him suffering from male pain, which results from him being detached from his emotions. The sad sprite ultimately alludes to a form of “emo- I‘m the darkness, you‘re the stars. Our love is brighter than the sun. tional stoicism”22 that helps the characters in the game to not become vulnerable in For eternity, for me there can be, situations that would open up occasions of intimacy. Terra and Celes also make ex- Only you, my chosen one… cessive use of the sad sprite, for example in almost any situation they bring up their Must I forget you? Our solemn promise? shrouded past, unknown purpose in life or fear, like Terra, or sheer hopelessness, Will autumn take the place of spring? negativity, or the wish of unbecoming that is inherently intertwined with the char- What shall I do? I‘m lost without you. acter of Celes, which we will discuss in the following. Speak to me once more!

Even though Celes, in the role of Maria, confesses the hopelessness of her love as “a fading dream”, she commits herself to a heteronormative mechanism of social control, which is monogamy. She idealises her true love prince Ralse, and Locke as an analogy, and vows to always be bound to him. She alludes to herself as the darkness, which needs to be illuminated by the light of the stars. Yet the picture of light and dark again testifies to the constellation of power that reigns in patriarchal relationships as opposing contrasts: while femininity is addressed as inherently lacking (darkness), the masculine counterpart figuratively adds the missing piece (light). Men are linked to giving, women in contrast are linked to receiving; strong and weak, active and passive, idealised male hero and stigmatised heroine with baggage. Maria’s aria concludes with the confession of being helpless all by herself, desperately needing the light of the stars to illuminate her darkness, to guide, to contain, to dominate. The main motive of the aria can therefore be understood as female longing to submit oneself to patriarchal order (again), which further sup- ports Bell Hooks’ argument of the perpetuation of patriarchal systems not being exclusive to the male gender.

19 Ibid., 66. 20 Ibid., 138. 21 Ibid., 138. 22 Ibid., 5. 18 19 Chapter Two Digital Desire

Later as the game unfolds Kefka tries to persuade the group that Celes is an impe- destroying Celes by failing to keep her father alive. In that particular event the rial spy, who was tasked with sneaking herself into the group. When even Locke, game radiates the destructiveness of patriarchal subordination and the conse- whom Celes slowly developed feelings for, seems to doubt her, she closes herself up quence of sudden and violent disassembly of these social systems of subjugated again and leaves the group. With Celes’ only purpose gone, community and mutual security. If the player chooses to save Cid, the player will miss out on a rare occasion trust, she seems to have no reason anymore to choose life over death. In a fateful of the game’s critical self reflective statement about female agency. event Celes is reunited with the group in battle with the now far superior Kefka, when she expresses her wish of never having been born to avoid pain and tragedy (Figure Although it does not matter for the outcome of the storyline whether the player 13). With Kefka absorbing the primal essence of magical power the world is facing succeeds or fails in the mini game, Celes will only end up finding clues about severe destruction. After the events he ascends to godhood and reigns supreme Locke’s whereabouts if she tries to commit suicide. Regardless of how the player ruler, randomly smiting innocent people just for the lulz. decides to take action, Celes will leave the island in order to find her friends and Locke. For the rest of the game the player’s task is to find the remaining party mem- A year later Celes wakes up from coma and finds herself in a drastically changed bers that are scattered throughout the World of Ruin in order to overthrow Kefka. world, the World of Ruin, in a situation she has always been terrified of: having been Although it is compulsory to recruit certain party members, the player is given separated from the group and most importantly Locke. She now lives on a desert the choice whether to find Locke or not. If the game is finished without finding island with her father figure Cid, an imperial scientist, who cared for her as a child. Locke, Celes promises herself that she will find him, knowing he must be out there The player faces two choices now, that have no impact on the continuation of the waiting for her. And once again, no matter how the player decides to play the game, story, but the way Celes’ character development evolves. Cid is facing death, so the the narrative will always emphasise Celes’ dependance on Locke and the need to be game lets the player take part in a mini game to catch fish in order to keep him with him, fulfilling the prophecy of what was foreshadowed in Maria’s aria. In alive. If the player succeeds, Cid lives and Celes leaves the Island in search for the chapter one I discussed how Terra deals with her post-colonial identity, and how others. However, If the player does not succeed, Cid dies. Terrified of having lost she fails to have agency compared to Jamaica Kincaid’s character Xuela. While Xuela the very last person that meant something to her, Celes walks towards a cliff and commits her life to failure, she subverts normative modes of resistance through throws herself down in despair, attempting suicide (Figure 14). radical passivity and by “Refusing to operate as the transfer point for transgener- Nevertheless, she survives the fall and is washed ashore. In this specific setup of ational colonization (…).”24. Celes’ self-destruction, which is either death or patriar- not being successful as a player in a discreet gameplay event, failure inevitably chal subjugation, on the other hand gives in to the oppressing systems that she is leads to losing control of the narration that follows shortly after: the player has to inhibited by: she is being placed in a narrative without agency. watch Celes trying to commit suicide without having access to what is happening. Jesper Juul describes the classic setup of “successful player and unsuccessful protagonist”23 as a moment where the player has successfully advanced the narrative by avoiding failure only to witness the protagonist facing tragedy. This particular setup for example occurred halfway through the story, when the party con- fronts Kefka. Having successfully learned the game mechanics and showing proficiency in when to make the right actions, the player manages to fight his or her way through numerous boss fights only to find out that the world is being de- stroyed regardless. In case of Celes’ suicide however, the setup would be unsuccessful player and unsuccessful protagonist. Although the choice of rescuing Cid would appear as most satisfying to the majority of players, I think there is a very good reason to let him die. Being forced to witness Celes’ attempt to kill herself, the player is confronted with the impact of his or her own failure. But even more important, with being deprived of control of the narration, the player shares Celes’ state of powerlessness against the systems of patriarchal dominion. In that particular moment the game shows a glimpse of awareness: the player becomes complicit in

23 Jesper Juul, “The Art of Failure: An Essay on the Pain of Playing Video Games“ (Cambridge, 24 Jack Halberstam, “The Queer Art of Failure“ (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2011), Mass.: MIT Press, 2013), 93. 133. 20 21 Chapter Two Digital Desire Figure 8: This whole conversation comes out of the blue and just at comes out of whole conversation This 8: Figure in - Terra‘s the screen. members leave the moment male party the exclaiming just of on a superficial level remains about love quiry its meaning. need to know Figure 10: Locke tries to resolve a conflict with Celes, however, he with Celes, however, a conflict tries to resolve 10: Locke Figure after the screen Celes is seen leaving his true feelings. express can‘t box. the text progressing Figure 9: Terra feels uncomfortable with being different. She fears She different. with being uncomfortable feels Terra 9: Figure colonised identity. due to her love finding of the inability Figure 11: In a strikingly honest moment Shadow, the most silent honest moment Shadow, a strikingly 11: In Figure - emotio on argument Hook‘s Bell of approves group, the of member masculinity. patriarchal that is demanded by nal numbing

22 23 Chapter Two Digital Desire Figure 14: Celes can‘t bear the bleakness of a future without a male a future the bleakness of bear 14: Celes can‘t Figure gone, she jumps (apparently) Locke With Cid and live. in her figure desperation. of as she cries tears the cliff down Figure 12: Celes throws down a bouquet of red roses from the castle from roses red a bouquet of down 12: Celes throws Figure the how the angle of now, on for go may life Although Her balcony. game. in the later suicide attempt her foreshadow fall down flowers Figure 13: Celes realises the weight of her existence as she wishes to existence her of the weight 13: Celes realises Figure unbecome.

24 25 Chapter Three Queering Up

In the previous chapters I discussed the subtle proliferation of problematic political implications that the game’s narrative and mechanics seem to disseminate. In Rise of the Videogame Zinesters Anna Anthropy criticises the reluctance of established game studios to invest in storytelling. She argues that “The video game industry has spent millions upon millions of dollars to develop visually impressive ways for a space marine to kill a monster. What they’ve invested almost nothing in is finding better ways to tell a story, and in exploring different stories to tell.”25. And indeed, misogyny and institutional racism do not seem to be a relict of game design from 1994, but they continue to persist. The releases of various groundbreaking (inde- pendent) queer games in the recent years, however, show that there are various approaches of how the medium of video games can be navigated out of white heteronormative narrowness and be opened up to be more inclusive and intersectional. Having partially investigated on possible moments of queerness in Final Fantasy VI, this chapter aims to find queer representations of female characters, which are not exclusively represented through the lens of patriarchal misogyny. As such character I propose the singer Lana del Rey.

Lana del Rey and Celes share various characteristics. Both of them are commonly associated with sadness, passivity, self-destruction and melancholy as well as their unhealthy relationship to patriarchal masculinity. The lyrics of del Rey’s tracks Chapter 3 deliver evidence about her self concept, which seems to exclusively revolve around pleasing patriarchal men. In her debut track Video Games she pictures a relationship to a stereotypical patriarchal cis-male, that drinks beer, plays video games and orders her around26. Desperate to woo for his attention, she puts herself will- Queering Up ingly in the passive position of being a status object by dressing nice, smelling nice and catering to her man27. In the chorus she idealises her partner, claiming that she would unconditionally do anything for him28. It becomes apparent that del Rey makes her own worth as a person completely dependant on her partner, even though he does not seem to be interested in her on an emotional level. He rather continues playing video games, while she craves for his attention. Her relationship seems to be constituted by emotional distance and a lack of intimacy. In her single Born to Die del Rey continues to shape her dark and unhealthy expectations of love. This time the underlying negativity and dissatisfaction with love portrayed in Video Games becomes a lot more explicit: while expressing her desire for final- ity (a perfect life, marriage, and eventually passing away) she also emphasises her suffering within toxic patriarchal relationships; despite all odds she still feels “alone on a Friday night”29.

25 Anna Anthropy, “Rise of the Videogame Zinesters“ (New York: Seven Stories Press, 2012), 160. 26 Lana del Rey, “Video Games“, Born to Die (Interscope Records, 2012). 27 Ibid.: I‘m in his favorite sun dress / Watching me get undressed / Take that body downtown 28 Ibid.: It’s you, it’s you, it’s all for you / Everything I do 29 Lana del Rey, “Born to Die“, Born to Die (Interscope Records, 2012). 26 27 Chapter Three Queering Up

In later tracks she also brings up topics like fear and domestic abuse. The recent She confesses that despite her endeavour to endure hardships she cannot attain to track Cherry from her fifth studio album Lust for Life (2017) draws the connection her ideals and by doing so she destroys her illusory idealisation of patriarchal mas- between her notion of love and fear. Despite her expression of frustration in re- culinity, and exposes it as an inherently flawed system. Taking the music video gards to her situation within a destructive relationship, she does not convey any into consideration, this interpretation is emphasised by del Rey’s performance: kind of motivation to take the initiative to change. She rather stays “lined up (…) While singing “I don‘t know why”, we see her rolling her eyes awkwardly, as if she (fuck)”30. In her track Ultraviolence del Rey justifies physical violence and even is second guessing her own lyrics38. In that particular moment her consistent per- idealises the domestic abuse her partner is exerting on her by claiming “He hit me formance of sadness shows glimpses of self reflection on a performative basis. The and it felt like a kiss”31. This particular line shows that del Rey is satisfied with awkwardness of her acting shows how uncomfortable she feels in that moment to any kind of emotion her partner is able to give her, even if it is anger. Bell Hooks perform obedience to the patriarchal conception of an unknowing and passive explains, that in patriarchal relationship emotionally starved women “(…) learn woman; in fact I believe she knows the answer to her question. Her submissiveness then to settle for whatever positive attention men are able to give. They learn to to men, which remains unrewarded, her sadness and passivity, her reluctance to overvalue it. They learn to pretend that it is love.”32. This particular setup seems to initiate change, and ultimately her inability to find true love, give the opportunity apply to what Lana del Rey describes in her song. Given that her man is an advo- “(…) to use these negative affects to poke holes in the toxic positivity of contempo- cate of patriarchal masculinity, we learned that according to Bell Hooks, men can rary life.”39. We know there will never be a happy ending to her misery. Her notion of only be accepted in patriarchal systems if they become emotionally numb33. Addi- love will always remain a clichéd longing for materiality, that can only satisfy her tionally, there is further evidence of a misogynist concept to connect women with temporarily. In contrary to Celes’ promising future in an idealised relationship with darkness, just like in the opera song in Final Fantasy VI. In Ultraviolence del Rey Locke, del Rey makes heteronormative relationships appear as sad and tragic in- sings: ”He used to call me DN / That stood for Deadly Nightshade”34. Just as Celes stead of predatory and societally inflicted: she unmasks a system that is bound to drew the analogy of women and night, darkness and inherently lacking, del Rey is fail. In the end she transforms her own failure into a lifestyle. Instead of revolting also referred to as a poisonous flower that grows in the shadow. against oppression, she revels in the feeling of abuse and unfulfillable desires, and subverts negativity and sadness into empowerment. She does not perform sad- In contrast to Celes, though, Lana del Rey shines glimpses of awareness consist- ness as a result of patriarchal domination, but as a form of being. ently throughout her discography. She expresses her discomfort with the narrative that is forced upon her as a woman, which reveals structural problems within the In a way Lana del Rey could be perceived as an antithesis to Celes. Even though heteronormative matrix, which Judith Butler describes as “the matrix of power both of them seem to share plenty of characteristics, in opposite to Celes, del Rey and discursive relations that effectively produce and regulate the intelligibility of manages to find agency through radically subverting gendered negativity. So, what [sex, gender, or sexuality] for us”35. The examples I just mentioned not only would happen if we just switch out the Character of Celes and introduce Lana del show del Rey’s willing subordination to patriarchy, but also her vigilance to iden- Rey to the world of Final Fantasy VI? Would her subtle, but crucial, differences to tify these coercive systems of gendered subjugation. In Video Games she connects Celes allow the game to display additional moments of queerness? the yearning for patriarchal dominion with the notion of vintage and nostalgia36. By doing so, she sends out the subtle message, that her behaviour towards patri- Instead of Celes, who is hesitant to sing in an opera in fear of being perceived as too archal masculinity is not adequate for our present times; it is in fact totally reactive feminine, Lana del Rey would have gladly taken chances. Swirling around dramat- and obsolete. In Born to Die she also conveys a self reflective moment: “Don’t make ically, she would have performed an opera version of Born to Die. She would have me sad, don’t make me cry / Sometimes love is not enough and the road gets tough been chanting her dreamy lyrics with serene grace and in the interlude, she would / I don’t know why”37. Here she makes her mutual submissiveness to patriarchy a have told a random actor, whom she has no emotional connection with, to kiss her subject by questioning her very own motifs. “hard in the pouring rain”40. The random actor looks somehow wasted, he has a moustache and long hair, several tattoos adorn his muscular arms. He does not

30 Lana del Rey, “Cherry“, Lust for Life (Interscope Records, 2017). 31 Lana del Rey, “Ultraviolence“, Ultraviolence (Interscope Records, 2014). 32 Bell Hooks, “The Will to Change“ (New York: Washington Square Press, 2005), 2. 33 Ibid., 5. 34 Lana del Rey, “Ultraviolence“, Ultraviolence (Interscope Records, 2014). 38 35 Judith Butler, “Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of ‘Sex‘“ (New York: Routledge, LanaDelReyVEVO, “Lana Del Rey - Born To Die“ 1993), 42. (online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bag1gUxuU0g, 2011, accessed October 2017). 39 36 Lana del Rey, “Video Games“, Born to Die (Interscope Records, 2012). Jack Halberstam, “The Queer Art of Failure“ (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2011), 3. 40 37 Lana del Rey, “Born to Die“, Born to Die (Interscope Records, 2012). Lana del Rey, “Born to Die“, Born to Die (Interscope Records, 2012). 28 29 Chapter Three Queering Up really look like a macho but he is certainly the “leading man”. Del Rey approaches Suddenly the game could be bigger than itself. It could develop an entire new him, they pretend to kiss. About to start singing again, she dismisses him. Goodbye legacy as a perpetually morphing entropy. Instead of a classic linear storytelling patriarchal cis-male. She will have another one at the next performance or video there would be a multi layered storyline that would not exclusively revolve around set. At the end of the song del Rey throws down a bouquet of daisies, to figurative- how to defeat Kefka. In fact, the introduction of Lana del Rey would threaten Kef- ly wave goodbye to marriage, monogamy, and heterofuturity. She knows that no ka in his sovereignty of having agency, choice, and access to the world, which one is there to catch it. could make him either less or more significant for the development of the story. Ultimately a single character could bend the narrative in a way, that would allow A few hours later in the game, the world falls apart. Del Rey wakes up from coma for more inclusivity, awareness and self-critique. Although the character of Lana and finds herself on a desert island. This time it does not take her “13 beaches to del Rey would not challenge the game’s ludo-politics on race, ableism and ab- find one empty”41, because she has just found a whole private island. The only oth- sence of class privilege, the implementation of her character could enrich the world er person who lives there is Cid, an imperial sugar daddy who promises to buy of Final Fantasy VI in numerous ways. her “lots of diamonds”42. Living the “fast live”43, del Rey’s desire for materiality overshadows the wish to find the other party members, so she just stays on the island (at least as long as she is not longing for another guy with fast cars). After a while she decides to continue pursuing her musical career. She also decides that she does not need Cid anymore. This is when she writes High By The Beach, the lead single for her fourth studio album Honeymoon. The song reflects on her situation on the island and her impending departure:

Lights, camera, acción I‘ll do it on my own Don‘t need your money, money To get me what I want

Ultimately Kefka would not have been defeated, because the party had not been reunited. Lana del Rey would rather get high by the beach and peace would not re- turn. And there would be no happy ending. Everyone would just live until they die because the illusion of a permanent state of joy and potentiality that results from a happy ending would not take place. But most of all, patriarchy would not remain victorious. It destroys the world of Final Fantasy VI and by preventing the world from being restored, patriarchy would become visible in its destructiveness. While I would argue that the singer Lana del Rey is not particularly queer, the injection of her persona into a video game would allow her to use her agency to create new dynamic relationships and enable the development of a queer growth, which Kath- ryn Bond Stockton defines as “sideways growth”, a growth that spreads “(…) to the side of cultural ideals.” and describes the “(…) energy, pleasure, vitality, and emotion in the back-and-forth of connections and extensions that are not reproductive.”44. Queer logic would enable the game’s story to develop in multidimensional ways.

41 Lana del Rey, “13 Beaches“, Lust for Life (Interscope Records, 2017). 42 Lana del Rey, “National Anthem“, Born to Die (Interscope Records, 2012). 43 Ibid.: Wining and dining, drinking and driving / Excessive buying, overdose and dying 44 Kathryn Bond Stockton, “The Queer Child, or Growing Sideways in The Twentieth Century“ (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2009), 13. 30 31 Conclusion

Just like patriarchal systems regulate social behaviour in our everyday lives, characters that are placed within video game politics suffer from being emotionally as- saulted by a rigid dictate of patriarchal masculinity. Both women and men suffer from these invisible forces that constrain them to the role that they have been assigned: negative women and heroic men. The game never actually mentions the word patriarchy, however, the ongoing display of patriarchal masculinity and the characters’ unscrutinised conformity to it permanently expose the player to ideals of patriarchal rule. I argued that this does not only happen through story exposition and narrative elements, but also through binary systems that govern between good and evil, male and female, weak and strong in the gameplay and design of Final Fantasy VI. I argued against Terra’s approach of coping with her post colonial identity, how the agency of otherness is relentlessly undermined and how heteronormativity remains the only acceptable form of being in the world of Final Fantasy VI. I discussed how Lana del Rey would successfully introduce a transformative moment to the game’s overall course, that would allow for a more queer discussion about politics and the representation of femininity within male dominated systems. It is not about just wanting to have Lana del Rey in a video game, it is about wanting to have honest friction between characters who have a story to tell about their place in the world, their choices, their failures, and, ultimately, what kind of world they would like to live in. While the game portrays weird moments of una- ware preciseness (i.e. the implications of Celes’ suicide), it quickly loses its potentially queer momentum and irrevocably reverts to persistently indoctrinating the player with ideals of patriarchal masculinity. But given how very queer inde- pendent game designers and writers (such as Anna Anthropy, Merritt Kopas and Robert Yang) challenge the prevalent video game landscape with their visions of “more creative, more cooperative, more surprising ways of being in the world”45, there is hope for a slow change in paradigms of thinking. Just like everyone can perpetuate modes of inhibition, everyone can also participate in what José Esteban Muñoz describes in Cruising Utopia: “We must dream and enact new and better pleasures, other ways of being in the world, and ultimately new worlds.”46

45 Jack Halberstam, “The Queer Art of Failure“ (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2011), 2. 46 José Esteban Muñoz, “Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity“ (New York: New York University Press, 2009), 1.

32 33 Bibliography Gameography Music

Anna Anthropy, “Rise of the Videogame Square Co., Ltd., “Final Fantasy VI“ Lana del Rey, “13 Beaches“, Lust for Life Zinesters“ (New York: Seven Stories (Japan: Square Co., Ltd., Super Ninten- (Interscope Records, 2017). Press, 2012). do Entertainment System, 1994). Lana del Rey, “Born to Die“, Born to Alison Bechdel, “Dykes to Watch Out Square Co., Ltd., “Final Fantasy VIII“ Die (Interscope Records, 2012). For“ (New York: Firebrand Books, (Japan: Square Co., Ltd., PlayStation, 1986). 1999). Lana del Rey, “Cherry“, Lust for Life (Interscope Records, 2017). Kathryn Bond Stockton, “The Queer Square Co., Ltd., “Final Fantasy IX“ Child, or Growing Sideways in The (Japan: Square Co., Ltd., PlayStation, Lana del Rey, “National Anthem“, Born Twentieth Century“ 2000). to Die (Interscope Records, 2012). (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2009). Lana del Rey, “Ultraviolence“, Ultravio- lence (Interscope Records, 2014). Judith Butler, “Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of ‘Sex‘“ (New Lana del Rey, “Video Games“, Born to York: Routledge, 1993). Die (Interscope Records, 2012).

Judith Butler, “Gender Trouble“ (New York: Routledge, 2006).

Frantz Fanon, “The Wretched Of The Earth“ (New York: Grove Press, 1963).

Jack Halberstam, “The Queer Art of Failure“ (Durham, N.C.: Duke Universi- ty Press, 2011). Online Bell Hooks, “The Will to Change“ (New York: Washington Square Press, 2005). Samantha Allen, “Lana Del Rey Makes Jesper Juul, “The Art of Failure: An Me Wish I Were Straight“ Essay on the Pain of Playing Video (online: https://www.thedailybeast.com/ Games“ lana-del-rey-makes-me-wish-i-were- (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2013). straight, 2014, accessed October 2017)

Jamaica Kincaid, “The Autobiography Bell Hooks, “Understanding Patriarchy“ Of My Mother“ (New York: Farrar, (online: http://imaginenoborders.org/ pdf/zines/ UnderstandingPatriarchy.pdf, Straus, Giroux, 1996). accessed October 2017). Merritt Kopas (editor), “Videogames for LanaDelReyVEVO, “Lana Del Rey - Born Humans: Twine Authors in Conversati- To Die“ (online: https://www.youtube. on“ (New York: Instar Books, 2015). com/watch?v=Bag1gUxuU0g, 2011, accessed October 2017). José Esteban Muñoz, “Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity“ Angela Washko, “Heroines with Bagga- (New York: New York University Press, ge“ (online: http://angelawashko.com/ 2009). section/289344- Heroines-with-Baggage. html, accessed October 2017). Bonnie Ruberg, Adrienne Shaw (edi- tors), “Queer Game Studies“ Robert Yang, “Radiator Design Blog“ (Minneapolis, London: University of (online: http://www.blog.radiator.debac- Minnesota Press, 2017). le.us/, accessed October 2017).

Adrienne Shaw, “Gaming at the Edge: Sexuality and Gender at the Margins of Gamer Culture“ (Minneapolis, London: University of Minnesota Press, 2014).

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