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A University of Sussex PhD thesis Available online via Sussex Research Online: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/ This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Please visit Sussex Research Online for more information and further details Queer Quests: Journeying Through Manifestations of Queerness in Video Games Gaspard Pelurson Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Media and Cultural Studies School of Media, Film and Music University of Sussex February 2017 i | P a g e Declaration I hereby declare that this thesis has not been and will not be submitted in whole or in part to another University for the award of any other degree. ii | P a g e Abstract This thesis focuses on the various manifestations of queerness in video games, and investigates how video games’ queer potential connects and clashes with LGBTQ politics, as well as with gaming culture and hegemonic masculinity. Through the lens of queer theory, I adopt two main angles of approach. Firstly, I concentrate on video game characters and study them as vessels of queer politics. Focusing on two game characters, and their reception within gaming communities, I explore the limits and potentials of the queer politics in video games. As such, despite the prevalence of heteronormative values in video game narratives, I argue that some game characters embody unexpected vessels of queer hope. Expanding upon this argument, this thesis moves away from queer characters and interrogates the inherent queerness of games themselves. In doing so, I delve into multiple choice dialogue systems and forms of ‘aimless’ game exploration, and argue that games can enfold the player in a queer, timeless bubble where alternative possibilities loom on the horizon. As such, I argue that the player escapes from normative time structures and freely articulates game time and space. In this way, these sequences occur in a queer temporality which runs counter to core game mechanics, such as achievements and rewards. Extending this queering of game, I finally argue that particular counternormative gaming practices, such as intentionally losing, celebrate the failure of heteromasculinity both inside and outside gaming culture. In this way, and throughout this thesis, I argue that video games operate as a multidimensional medium, providing various instances where queerness manifests itself. While I demonstrate that some of these instances can be found in other popular media such as cinema and literature, I argue that video game queerness also takes unique shapes that are exclusive to the medium. As such, I suggest that video games, as a polysemic medium, gleam with queer potentiality, and are pioneers in revealing new queer embodiments. iii | P a g e Acknowledgements It would be terribly unfair not to acknowledge that several people directly contributed to this academic journey and helped make it more bearable. I must first thank Niall Richardson, who inspired the initial focus of this thesis and accompanied me during the first part of my research. I am also truly thankful for Sharif, my primary supervisor, who believed in this project until the end – despite the numerous obstacles I encountered – and carried it with his wit, engagement and enthusiasm. As a non-native English speaker, proofreading one or two paragraphs or finding the right word can sometimes take me a full day. Fortunately, two people in particular spent countless hours on my clumsy writing and helped me keep a little bit of self-confidence. I thank the spectacular Tom Houlton, who generously read this thesis in its entirety, provided encouraging feedback and prevented me from selling my liver. I also cannot stop thanking Matt Beetar, who, in addition to having started his PhD at the same time as me (and obviously finishing a year before me), being “MY BEST FRIEND!” and introducing me to several faces of queer culture, is THE proofreader everyone would dream of. You know that if you ever want EU citizenship, I am (and probably will remain for decades) single and happy to marry you. 2016 was a bad year. Tormented by insomnia, I saw my life drifting away to dangerous shores that, I thought, had been erased from my mind. For going through this I must thank Andrew for hanging out with me during half a year. You will probably never read this, nor be aware of how you actually helped me, but you definitely restored, somehow, my confidence and sense of self-worth. I cannot forget George, who gave me helpful advice and listened to my endless and self-centred monologues with a smile that would cheer up the grumpiest cat. I can also only thank Poppy for those wild London nights, which, for a couple of hours, washed my worries away. And for all those drinks I never paid for. My close family is not very big, but they undeniably make up for it. Papa, thank you for believing in something you did not entirely understand and always supporting me in this journey; I feel lucky and privileged. Pomeline, our weekly Skype conversations are already legendary. I feel blessed that despite our differences, we share such a solid bond. You are kind, understanding and extremely talented, and it pains me to be this dramatic, but this PhD journey would have been so much worse without you. iv | P a g e Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. v Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 Context and Contribution to Knowledge/ Scope of the Research .................................... 3 “Select your Character” – Motivation and Self-Reflection as a Ga(y)mer ...................... 4 “Game Changer”: Changing Critical Trajectories ........................................................... 7 Thesis Walkthrough ......................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 1. Queer Presence in Video Games – GamerGate, Queer Characters and Queer Game Studies. ................................................................................................................ 12 Homophobia and GamerGate ..........................................................................................13 Representation of Queer Characters in Mainstream Video Games ...............................15 Queer Game Studies .......................................................................................................19 Queerness and Queer Theory ..........................................................................................22 Chapter 2. Instruction Manual: Methodology ................................................................ 26 Going Beyond Dualities (Narratology vs Ludology) .......................................................26 Selecting Characters and Games ....................................................................................29 Game Analysis .................................................................................................................32 Chapter 3 and 4: An Intersubjective Methodology .....................................................32 Chapter 5 and 6: Questioning Gameplay, Space and Narrative. ...............................34 Data Collection ................................................................................................................35 Forum Comments ........................................................................................................35 YouTube Videos and Comments ..................................................................................37 Ethical Considerations ....................................................................................................39 Chapter 3. Moustaches, Blood Magic and Interspecies Sex: Navigating the Non- Heterosexuality of Dorian Pavus ................................................................................... 41 v | P a g e Methodological Details ................................................................................................43 Introducing Dorian Pavus ...........................................................................................44 The Mustachioed Mage: Dorian as a Gay Stereotype ....................................................46 Shunning the Mage or the Dangers of Assimilationist Politics .....................................58 The Moving Mage: Dorian as a “breakout gay character” ..............................................63 The Mage and The Bull: Dorian’s Secret Queer Love ....................................................69 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................78 Chapter 4. Sissies, Sinthomosexuals and Cyborgs: Searching for the Coordinates of a Queer Future in Final Fantasy IX. ...............................................................................