Open AccessTHE AMBIVALENCE OF LIFE IS STRANGE IN PORTRAYING ITS FEMALE CHARACTERS
Author(s) -
Ridanti Oktavanya,
Yasmine Anabel Panjaitan
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of humanity studies (ijhs)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2597-4718
pISSN - 2597-470X
DOI - 10.24071/ijhs.v3i1.2018
Subject(s) - ambivalence , narrative , hegemonic masculinity , masculinity , hegemony , representation (politics) , video game , gender studies , optimal distinctiveness theory , sociology , criticism , aesthetics , psychology , social psychology , art , literature , political science , computer science , multimedia , law , politics
Nowadays, there has been a new trend in the video game industry to unleash the stereotypical female characters as a response to the increasing criticism toward gender equality in the video game industry. Life is Strange is one example of video games that challenges typical female characters who are usually described as powerless and objectified. However, such a progression has not amended the problematic female representation completely within its narrative. By using the concept of hegemonic masculinity, this paper discusses the ambivalences in Life is Strange in challenging stereotypical female representations. The result of the analysis shows that although Life is Strange successfully subverts the female physical representation through its design, the narrative still perpetuates hegemonic masculinity by means of sacrificial heroine and lesbianism eroticization.DOI:10.24071/ijhs.2019.030102