Sexuality and Play – Introduction
Editorial
Welcome, dear reader, to our WiderScreen special issue! We, the editors of this collection, have carefully collated the readings found here in a celebration of intersecting play(fulness) and sex(uality). While this conceptual duo has been frequently referenced at least since Karl Groos’ (1901) study of human play in general and Sidney and…
Questions on Queer Game Design: An interview between Jess Marcotte and Kara Stone
Interview
This co-interview between two game designers and scholars asks questions about queer game design as a critical and reflective scholarly practice, representations of sex and sexuality in games, approaches to art-making, community organizing, and queer and feminist theory.
Jess Rowan Marcotte jess.ro.marcotte [a] gmail.com TAG Research Lab Concordia University
Kara Stone kstone1…
Gaming with Gender Performativity, Sexuality, and Community: An Interview with Sofonda Booz on Hosting Drag Bingo Events
Interview
In this interview, Sofonda Booz, host of “C U Next Tuesday Bingo,” a Drag Bingo night in Chicago, IL discusses her journey of doing drag and hosting bingo, specifically how she tailors her games to engage her audiences.
Michael Anthony DeAnda mdeanda [a] depaul.edu LecturerCollege of Computing and Digital Media, School of…
Synching and Performing: Body (Re)-Presentation in the Short Video App TikTok
Peer-reviewed article
The article examines the potential that the short video app TikTok offers to users to perform notions of beauty and gender. The research methodology employs content analysis of sample videos focusing on self-representation to examine the performativity of the body image.
Mona Khattabmona.khattab [a] uwasa.fi Doctoral Student School of Marketing and…
The Pro Strats of Healsluts: Overwatch, Sexuality, and Perverting the Mechanics of Play
Peer-reviewed article
Our article explores Overwatch’s healslut community, and we examine how the healslut community writes sexuality into the gamespace through subversive gameplay techniques that repurpose the ludic language of Overwatch.
Kyle Bohunickykbohunicky [a] ufl.eduDigital Worlds InstituteUniversity of Florida
Jordan Youngbloodyoungbloodj [a] easternct.eduEnglish and New Media Studies Departments
On the Importance of Queer Romances – Role-play as Exploration and Performance of Sexuality
Peer-reviewed article
This article investigates various kinds of analog and digital role-playing games (RPG) from the perspective of queer romance. We are interested in finding out how ‘queer’ appears in the composition of role-playing games through analysing players’ explorations and performances, as well as the options for romance in these games.
Tanja…
Vakava leikki – Tiedonjakaminen, identiteetti ja leikillisyys suomalaisen seksichatin nimimerkeissä
Vertaisarvioitu artikkeli
Artikkelissa tarkastellaan suomalaisen Herkku.net-seksichatin käyttäjien nimimerkkejä. Analyysin kohteena ovat tiedon jakaminen, identiteetin ilmaiseminen ja kielellinen leikittely. Nimimerkit ovat erittäin informatiivisia, usein leikillisyyden kustannuksella.
Lasse Hämäläinen lasse.j.hamalainen [a] helsinki.fiFT, tutkijaHelsingin yliopisto
Ari Haasioari.haasio [a] seamk.fiFT, yliopettajaSeinäjoen ammattikorkeakoulu
Review of Many Splendored Things: Thinking Sex and Play by Susanna Paasonen
Book review
Susanna Paasonen’s Many Splendored Things: Thinking Sex and Play is one of the most important books on play. It is a fundamental book to understand the multifaceted connections between play, pleasure, and sexuality; a unique, insightful, provoking and rewarding book.
Miguel Sicartmiguel [a] itu.dkAssociate ProfessorIT University of Copenhagen
Review of Sex in Videogames by Brenda Brathwaite
Book review
Sex in Videogames by the acclaimed game designer Brenda Brathwaite (now Romero) was first published in 2006 and is one of the first books to explicitly address the intersection of games and sexuality. As a relic from the past, it comes with problematic suggestions around sex and sexualisation which shed doubt…
Sexual Cultures -konferenssi Turussa 28.–29.5.
Konferenssiraportti
Kolmas Sexual Cultures -konferenssi järjestettiin Turun Yliopiston Sirkkala-kampuksella 28.–29. toukokuuta. Leikki osoitti monimuotoisuutensa laajana ja kiisteltynä terminä, kun kampuksen luokkahuoneet täyttyivät kulttuurintutkimuksen ammattilaisista.
Valtteri Kauraoja jvvkau [a] utu.fiMediatutkimusTurun yliopisto