Resident Evil Series
Zombies, Phallic Monsters, and Rocket Launchers: An Examination of Gender Representations and Simulations in the Resident Evil Series Christopher Alton A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Communication and Culture, York University, Toronto, Ontario May, 2020 © Chris Alton, 2020 ii Abstract Capcom’s Resident Evil series (1996-present) is the second longest running horror video game series, following Konami’s Castlevania (1986-present). The series has, from its beginning, offered a choice of gendered protagonists with associated unique narrative and gameplay experiences, to say nothing of the gendered nature of the series antagonists. In this dissertation, I examine how gender dynamics, norms, expectations, and subversions are depicted and represented across the games in the Resident Evil series. I use an approach which embraces presentation (the ways characters are depicted in audio/visual terms), narrative (what roles characters play in the stories), and gameplay aspects (what the player is tasked with in the games, and how they are expected to succeed) of the main games in the Resident Evil series. Using key texts on the ontology of video games, gender/sexuality in the horror genre, and intersectionality/international feminism, I examine the whole of the Resident Evil series, as well as the guides and making-of materials, spin-offs, offshoots, and contemporary reviews. How the choice of male versus female protagonist choice is delineated, paired with the ways in which characters, male, female, and otherwise, are portrayed in relation to one another is the larger focus of this dissertation.
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