Gender and virtual body in video games

The relevance of the research topic is due to the fact that video games, as a significant phenomenon of modern culture, represent existing gender models of behavior and stereotypes, and also create a special space for experimentation and transformation of gender identity, construction of virtual body. On the one hand, video games are an extension of our physical body. So the player, using motion controllers or VR technologies, can feel his spatial presence in the virtual world and interact with objects. On the other hand, video games provide the opportunity to construct a different, “virtual” body. The article examines a range of issues devoted to the interconnection between gender and virtual body in video games. How do players experience and become aware of their virtual body? How does this affect their gender identity? Conversely, how does a player's gender influence how they design an avatar? How free is the player to choose gender and virtual body? Virtual body is broadly understood as: firstly, it is a digital representation of oneself, a constructed virtual image, an avatar/character, its signs-symbolic content; secondly, this is the feeling of presence in a virtual space-body, most fully created with the help of VR or other immersive technologies; thirdly, it is interaction with objects, communication with characters or other people in virtual space, a sense of agency, autonomy and competence. The following conclusions were made: firstly, video games, being a phenomenon of postnon-classical culture, reflect the complexity, multi-layered and non-linearity of the modern world, including the constant variability and fluidity of identity; secondly, the player’s gender identity largely influences his construction of virtual body due to the fact that many people identify themselves with the created avatar and put into it traits and characteristics similar to themselves; thirdly, players’ experience of their virtual body affects their sense of self, behavior and interaction with other people due to the “Proteus effect”; fourthly, video games create opportunities for experimenting with gender identity in accordance with the concept of “the body without organs” by J. Deleuze. Thus, video games are understood as a post-non-classical cultural phenomenon that opens up possibilities for moving beyond the binary gender system through the creation of an ever-changing identity. The author declare no conflicts of interests.

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