Inte en babe - Affekt, känsla och sexualitet i World of Warcaft

Abstract

Feminist game studies scholars are still few and far between, and little has been done in the intersection of queer theory and games. Informed by feminist discussions of affect, and of emotion, this article uses an ethnographic study of queer potentials in the MMOG (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) World of Warcraft as its core example. The article develops an understanding of online gaming by investigating embodied experiences, affective investments and circulations within game spaces. Ultimately, it asks what an online game like World of Warcraft puts in motion, and what consequences such stirring may have for ways of thinking – and feeling – games, critically, yet sensitively. How do emotions circulate in and through games? How do corporeal desires and belongings map onto games? Could certain game spaces or moments of play be termed ‘queer’?