Introduction

Tanner, Heather J.; Gathagan, Laura L.; Huneycutt, Lois L.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-01346-2_1

Cited by 14 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 24 publications

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“…Some fans defended the absence of a female main character because it would be more authentic to have a medieval world without many important women (Schröder, 2008). These players’ perspectives are based on personal understandings of medieval history, where misogyny was significant but women’s lives were also complex (Tanner et al, 2019, p. 2). Another example comes from player backlash at the inclusion of female soldiers in Battlefield V , leading to the popularity of the hashtag #NotMyBattlefield (Farokhmanesh, 2018) .…”

Section: Theorising Realism Escapism and Immersion In Gamingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“She's Built Like a Tank”: Player Reaction to Abby Anderson in The Last of Us: Part II

Tomkinson

2022

Games and Culture

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The depiction of female characters in video games is highly contentious. The pushes for increased diversity following Gamergate have heralded more varied representations of women in both independent and Triple A games. One particularly interesting video game in this context is Naughty Dog's 2020 action-adventure title The Last of Us: Part II. The game received extremely divisive criticism in part due to Abby Anderson and her functions in the game. Many players were outraged at her muscular, “masculine” build, considering it inaccurate for a woman living in a post-apocalyptic setting, and a form of virtue-signalling. In this paper I examine these players’ complaints regarding Abby and consider how they fit within gaming discourses of realism, immersion, and escapism. I explore what elements players consider to be acceptable as ‘realism' in the context of a post-apocalyptic action-horror video game, considering a prevalent discourse that video games are being increasingly politicised.

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Section: Theorising Realism Escapism and Immersion In Gamingmentioning

confidence: 99%