University
Shawnee State University
Major
English
Presentation Types
Oral Presentation (Live)
Keywords:
The male gaze theory, video games
Abstract
Female video game characters often illustrate sexist ideologies. Many studies have established that this issue can be explained using Laura Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze. This research project seeks to understand how Mulvey’s male gaze theory can explain the ways in which three characters (Princess Zelda, Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Sylvanas Windrunner) are represented within their respective video games. To examine these video game characters and understand how the male gaze theory has contributed to their portrayal, I will examine key scenes in which these characters experience loss of power due to male characters. I will code these scenes using the verbs within the scenes. This will help get a sense of which characters have power (or do not have power) within each scene. The verbs will also help with examining the ways in which these characters interact with, and are interacted with, regarding their world.
Human and Animal Subjects
no
Faculty Mentor Name
Marc Scott
Faculty Mentor Title
Associate Professor and Director of Assessment and Accreditation
Faculty Mentor Department
English and Humanities
Recommended Citation
Rice, Erin, "The Male Gaze Theory within Video Games" (2021). Celebration of Scholarship. 8.
https://digitalcommons.shawnee.edu/cos/2021/day4/8
The Male Gaze Theory within Video Games
Female video game characters often illustrate sexist ideologies. Many studies have established that this issue can be explained using Laura Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze. This research project seeks to understand how Mulvey’s male gaze theory can explain the ways in which three characters (Princess Zelda, Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Sylvanas Windrunner) are represented within their respective video games. To examine these video game characters and understand how the male gaze theory has contributed to their portrayal, I will examine key scenes in which these characters experience loss of power due to male characters. I will code these scenes using the verbs within the scenes. This will help get a sense of which characters have power (or do not have power) within each scene. The verbs will also help with examining the ways in which these characters interact with, and are interacted with, regarding their world.
