![]() 7 Considering the context where role-playing games emerged – a male-dominated wargaming community – it is not surprising that the themes concerning sexuality or gender were not dealt with in the source books. When RPGs were attacked as subversive and dangerous, the defence was that they were simply make-believe and imagination. In the 1970s and 1980s, role-playing games were generally not dealing with societal themes. Furthermore, this tradition is still alive and well, even if it is nowadays only one approach to role-play among many. In the dawn of role-playing games play consisted mainly of fighting, exploration of space and adventure, and character development referred to measurable statistics, not growth of a personality. However, role-playing games are not always about nuanced character study. In fact, as the word role-playing game suggests, one of the most important aspects of RPG is ‘playing a role’, adopting and adapting characteristics in order to become someone else for the purposes of a game. Today’s role-playing games span this whole spectrum. For example, games focusing on exploration of terrain and violent conquest have less use for multifaceted character constructs than games examining societal issues or simulating alternative social structures. ![]() Genre, theme, and general aim of the game play an important part in setting up the context. This progression from a cursor to an avatar to a possible person is tied to the game context. Game characters vary from being a near-invisible tool (almost like a cursor on the screen) used to implement changes on the game world, to a complex depiction of beings akin to real-like humans with rich personal histories. When analyzing characters in role-playing games, one of the most important things to consider is the function of the character position. Our survey is far from comprehensive, and indeed, this article is intended as an opening into a new field of study. The instances of male homosexuality – as those we initially started to look for – as well as ‘queerness’ more generally are then analyzed as representations in the context of cultural studies and the discussion on identity politics. In this chronological research article, we will track down both textual and visual mentions and hints at queer sexualities and see how they function within the context of the game. Where the topic has not been silenced altogether, it has often been handled in a way that seems odd, humorous, or extreme in hindsight. On the basis of an examination of English-language RPG source books from years 1974–2005, our starting point is the observation that queer themes have been either completely absent or extremely sporadic for most of the history of role-playing games. This article, however, concentrates on the representation of queer sexualities in role-playing game source books, not on actual play practice. However, since role-playing games are shared social game experiences that use textual sources as starting points and not as determining guidelines, the actual practice of role-playing may have had content markedly different from the guidebooks. 5ĭespite its long history as something that is perceived as dangerous, blasphemous and alternative, the culture of tabletop role-playing games has remained fairly conservative, especially so when it comes to social issues. 4 In the context of digital games the academic discussion on representation and identification is further along, but since the practices of play are different in analog, social games, that discussion is not directly applicable here. Furthermore, the various histories written on role-playing games are mostly silent on the topic as well gender is sometimes discussed, but sexuality is scarcely mentioned at all. 2Īlthough there is substantial research on role-playing games and player cultures that surround them, 3 non-normative sexualities seems to be a topic that still calls for initial study. 1 Explicitly queer content has started to appear only relatively recently in genres where sexuality is considered relevant for the portrayal of the fictional world or the characters inhabiting it, such as simulation and role-playing games. Generally speaking, games and game worlds have not been inclusive of individuals or themes that are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ for practical reasons, we will use ‘queer’ to refer to LGBTQ in this article). Games that deal with sexuality are few and far between, and games that deal with non-normative sexualities are even less common. A Wilder from White Wolf’s Changeling: The Dreaming (1997).
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