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Full text release has been delayed at the author's request until April 09, 2026

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

"Beyond Normative Gaming: Cripping Games and Their Fandoms"

Hart, Danielle M
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6965-362X
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami161822794824977

Abstract Details

2021, Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, English.
In this project, which is situated at the intersections of disability studies, video game studies, and fan studies, I argue that disability is an integral part of video games and their communities of fans. Contrary to the misconception that digital spaces are technoutopias that foster equality through anonymity and virtual disembodiment, digital spaces tend to magnify bodymind differences and perpetuate systems of oppression. This is especially true in terms of disability, race, and gender. Disability has always been present in video games, but not necessarily in a positive way. The inaccessibility of games and related cultures exists both in terms of physical inaccessibility and cultural inaccessibility, the latter referring to the discouragement of marginalized individuals from playing video games and participating in gaming cultures. The inaccessibility of games has had a direct and reciprocal effect on representation in games, as characters who are not white, male, straight, and able-bodied/minded are often absent or negatively depicted. Gameplay is often normative and does not encourage the player to experience alternate ways of being. I refer to non-normative forms of gameplay as cripping a game in homage to Bonnie Ruberg's notion of queering a game. I focus specifically on crip temporality in video games as it is related to mental illness, or mad time. Negative stereotypes of mental illness abound in video games; as a counterpoint, I analyze games that alter the player's experience with time in a way that does not stigmatize madness. In the two final chapters, I blend a qualitative reception study of fan reactions to the Dishonored series with an analysis of video game fanworks, i.e., creative works made by fans about existing media. I analyze disability-related mods that fall into three broad categories: 1) mods that add accessibility options to video games, 2) mods that improve the representation of disabled characters, and 3) mods that alter the way a game functions to crip the gameplay experience. I conclude with a reflection on how events in 2020, including the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests, have intersected with the topics of this dissertation.
Madelyn Detloff (Committee Chair)
Stefanie Dunning (Committee Member)
Tim Lockridge (Committee Member)
Katie Johnson (Committee Member)
Mark McKinney (Committee Member)
195 p.
Literature
disability; video games; fandom; fan culture; mods; cosplay; crip theory; madness; embodiment

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Hart, D. M. (2021). "Beyond Normative Gaming: Cripping Games and Their Fandoms" [Doctoral dissertation, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami161822794824977

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Hart, Danielle. "Beyond Normative Gaming: Cripping Games and Their Fandoms". 2021. Miami University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami161822794824977.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Hart, Danielle. ""Beyond Normative Gaming: Cripping Games and Their Fandoms"." Doctoral dissertation, Miami University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami161822794824977

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

miami161822794824977
© 2021, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Miami University and OhioLINK.