„ Add Women and Stir“: Digital Games and the Female Image Eva Mueller-Zettelmann, Vienna David Skreiner, Funatics, Oberhausen

Introduction: Coming of Age an industry‘s adolescence: pimples and testosterone designers and customers: dads and granddads a saturated market: facing the Unknown

an industry‘s adolescence: pimples and testosterone

designers and customers: dads and granddads

a saturated market: facing the Unknown

Ingratiating the Female Gamer: A Fictional Account detailed market research revision and partial reinvention of the genre games specifically catering to women gamers’ tastes sharp increase in the number of female gamers feminist content shapes public perception

detailed market research

revision and partial reinvention of the genre

games specifically catering to women gamers’ tastes

sharp increase in the number of female gamers

feminist content shapes public perception

The Status Quo no risk – no female game curious discrepancy between the demands of the market and the industry‘s half-hearted response hypothesis: not economic but cultural issues at stake  power, selfhood, sexual identity

no risk – no female game

curious discrepancy between the demands of the market and the industry‘s half-hearted response

hypothesis: not economic but cultural issues at stake  power, selfhood, sexual identity

Two Examples: Metroid (1986) & The Settlers II (1996/2006) Metroid : taking a first positive step towards a genuine feminisation of the digital game ? for the male gamer: visual-sexual stimulation and female objectification for the female gamer: self-objectification and self-effacement

Metroid : taking a first positive step towards a genuine feminisation of the digital game ?

for the male gamer: visual-sexual stimulation and female objectification

for the female gamer: self-objectification and self-effacement

Two Examples: Metroid (1986 & The Settlers II (1996/2006) Metroid : Taking a first positive step towards a genuine feminisation of the digital game ? for the male gamer: visual-sexual stimulation and female objectification for the female gamer: self-objectification and self-effacement

Metroid : Taking a first positive step towards a genuine feminisation of the digital game ?

for the male gamer: visual-sexual stimulation and female objectification

for the female gamer: self-objectification and self-effacement

The Settlers („ Die Siedler“ ) fans asked for inclusion of women in the 2006 remake of The Settlers II (1996) designers responded with ludic rendering of Elisabeth Bronfen’s concept of “absent presence” (Bronfen 1992 )

fans asked for inclusion of women in the 2006 remake of The Settlers II (1996)

designers responded with ludic rendering of Elisabeth Bronfen’s concept of “absent presence” (Bronfen 1992 )

The Settlers ( Die Siedler ) Fans asked for inclusion of women in the 2006 remake of „ The Settlers II“ Designers responded with ludic rendering of Elisabeth Bronfen’s concept of “absent presence” (Bronfen xxx ) The Settlers II – The Next Generation (2006)

Fans asked for inclusion of women in the 2006 remake of „ The Settlers II“

Designers responded with ludic rendering of Elisabeth Bronfen’s concept of “absent presence” (Bronfen xxx )

The Settlers ( Die Siedler ) fans asked for inclusion of women in the 2006 remake of The Settlers II designers responded with ludic rendering of Elisabeth Bronfen’s concept of “absent presence” (Bronfen 1992 )

fans asked for inclusion of women in the 2006 remake of The Settlers II

designers responded with ludic rendering of Elisabeth Bronfen’s concept of “absent presence” (Bronfen 1992 )

The Female Image in Psychoanalist Theory absence, re-presentation, and possession woman as feared/desired object woman signifying lack/fullness objectification, scopophilia and the hegemony of the male gaze woman as fetish, woman as spectacle

absence, re-presentation, and possession

woman as feared/desired object

woman signifying lack/fullness

objectification, scopophilia and the hegemony of the male gaze

woman as fetish, woman as spectacle

Patriarchy and the Female Image Examples Princess Peach (Nintendo, 2006) Princess Peach guest stars in „Mario Gold Advance Tour“ (Nintendo)

Examples

Patriarchy and the Female Image Examples Diablo II (Blizzard)

Examples

Patriarchy and the Female Image Examples Tomb Raider series (Eidos)

Examples

Patriarchy and the Female Image Examples Dreamfall (Funcom, 2006) Tekken Series (Namco) Final Fantasy Series (Square Enix)

Examples

Patriarchy and the Female Image Examples No One Lives Forever II (Vivendi) World of Warcraft (Blizzard) World Racing II (Synetic)

Examples

Patriarchy and the Female Image Examples Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball (Team Ninja) Dead or Alive Series (Team Ninja)

Examples

The Female Gamer: A Cultural Non-Entity no cultural stereotypes available gaming takes an active, creative, openly self-indulgent subject gaming as a non-pragmatic, non-profitable pursuit the game as a potentially transgressive, revolutionary site

no cultural stereotypes available

gaming takes an active, creative, openly self-indulgent subject

gaming as a non-pragmatic, non-profitable pursuit

the game as a potentially transgressive, revolutionary site

Conclusion: Irritating Avatars, Pioneering Female Gamers dominance of the cultural superstructure over the economic base when questions of male identity and supremacy are at stake Women gamers through their ‚unfeminine‘ behaviour subvert and expand the common conception of the female

dominance of the cultural superstructure over the economic base when questions of male identity and supremacy are at stake

Women gamers through their ‚unfeminine‘ behaviour subvert and expand the common conception of the female