Michigan Technological University Digital Commons @ Michigan Tech Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports 2020 Through Her Eyes: The Gendering of Female First-Person Shooters Elizabeth Renshaw Michigan Technological University, [email protected] Copyright 2020 Elizabeth Renshaw Recommended Citation Renshaw, Elizabeth, "Through Her Eyes: The Gendering of Female First-Person Shooters", Open Access Dissertation, Michigan Technological University, 2020. https://doi.org/10.37099/mtu.dc.etdr/1045 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/etdr Part of the Digital Humanities Commons, Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, and the Other Film and Media Studies Commons THROUGH HER EYES: THE GENDERING OF FEMALE FIRST-PERSON SHOOTERS By Elizabeth Renshaw A DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In Rhetoric, Theory and Culture MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY 2020 © 2020 Elizabeth Renshaw This dissertation has been approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Rhetoric, Theory and Culture. Department of Humanities Dissertation Advisor: Stefka Hristova Committee Member: Carlos Amador Committee Member: Adam Crowley Committee Member: Diane Shoos Department Chair: Scott Marratto Table of Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ vi Abstract .........................................................................................................................vii Through Her Eyes: The Gendering of Female FPSs ......................................................... 1 Press Start ............................................................................................................... 3 Her-story ...................................................................................................... 4 Tutorial............................................................................................................................ 7 Terminology ........................................................................................................... 7 Gameplay ..................................................................................................... 7 Mechanics 8 Dynamics 9 Affects 10 Narrative ..................................................................................................... 10 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 12 Ludonarrative Synchronicity ....................................................................... 13 Insert Coin ............................................................................................................ 16 Is the game a first-person shooter? .............................................................. 17 Is the female avatar given, not chosen? ....................................................... 19 Was it produced by a “AAA” studio? .......................................................... 22 The Rise (1991-95) ........................................................................ 23 The Dead Zone (1996-2001) .......................................................... 24 The Peak (2002-09) ....................................................................... 25 The Collapse (2010-2018) ............................................................. 25 Literature Review ................................................................................................. 26 Female or Feminine?................................................................................... 27 Cyborgs 28 Plurality of Identities................................................................................... 31 Straight to Video (Games)........................................................................... 32 Gamer’s Gaze ................................................................................ 33 Point of View ............................................................................ 34 Chapter Preview ................................................................................................... 36 Level One: Svelte Spies .............................................................................. 36 Level Two: Alien Queen(s) ......................................................................... 37 Level Three: Bullet (Free)-Time ................................................................. 37 Boss Battle .................................................................................................. 38 Level One: Spy vs. Spy ................................................................................................. 39 Svelte Spies .......................................................................................................... 39 iii Jane Bond ............................................................................................................. 42 Perfect Dark ......................................................................................................... 45 Joan of Dark ............................................................................................... 45 The Clothes Make the Woman .................................................................... 47 The Operative: No One Lives Forever................................................................... 50 Sexy Sixty’s Spies ...................................................................................... 51 Dressed to Kill ............................................................................................ 52 Scent of a Woman ....................................................................................... 53 Femme Fatales ...................................................................................................... 55 Level Two: Alien Queen(s)............................................................................................ 59 Brains over Brawns ............................................................................................... 59 Previously On… ................................................................................................... 60 Metroid Prime ...................................................................................................... 62 The Last Bounty Hunter .............................................................................. 63 The Right to Look ....................................................................................... 65 Irreplaceable ............................................................................................... 66 Alien: Isolation ..................................................................................................... 67 Last (Wo)Man Standing .............................................................................. 68 Like Mother, Like Daughter ........................................................................ 69 Bulletproof.................................................................................................. 70 Space Sirens ......................................................................................................... 72 Level Three: Bullet (Free)-Time .................................................................................... 73 I Am No Man ....................................................................................................... 73 Violent Femmes .................................................................................................... 74 Portal 76 Eyes Without A Face .................................................................................. 78 Ghost in the Chell ....................................................................................... 80 The Cake is a Lie ........................................................................................ 83 Fe-Male 84 Mirror’s Edge ....................................................................................................... 85 At the Edge ................................................................................................. 85 Follow the Ruby Piped Path ........................................................................ 87 Reload 89 Jump Around ........................................................................................................ 91 Boss Battle .................................................................................................................... 93 License to Kill ...................................................................................................... 93 iv Guns Don’t Kill People, Girls Do ......................................................................... 94 No Men Were Harmed in the Making of This Game ............................................. 95 Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, & Dodge ....................................................................... 98 Dead End .................................................................................................... 98 Antagonist Instincts .................................................................................. 100 The Future is Female .......................................................................................... 105 Wolfenstein: Youngblood .......................................................................... 105 Half-Life: Alyx .........................................................................................