The Freedom To Play As Yourself. Examining How Medium Specificity Allows For Marginalized Identity Exploration

Abstract

Video games offer a unique agency that arguably cannot be found in other mediums: more than in other forms of art, video games allow their audience to become a participant in their stories. This agency allows the player to use the video game character as a vehicle or avatar to explore not only the game’s world but also to safely explore identities in ways they cannot in their real-life environment. This thesis explores how the medium specificity allows for marginalized identities to still find a way to express themselves outside of the developer's intentions.