Welcome to the Dollhouse.

Constructing Bodies in Crytek’s Crysis and Mattel’s Kiddle Dolls.

Authors

  • Carl Therrien University of Montreal image/svg+xml Auteur-e
  • Joyce Goggin Universiteit van Amsterdam Auteur-e

Keywords:

Doll, Avatar, First-Person Shooter, Game History, Immersion, Gender Stereotypes

Abstract

In this paper, we try to defamiliarize our assumptions about dolls/action figures and avatars, by confronting two seemingly distinct toy lines. We reactivate a lineage between avatars and dolls through an inspection of how bodies are constructed, and how play is experienced with these material props. We use Jean-Marie Schaeffer’s notion of hypernormal mimetism as a fundamental aspect of prosthetic body construction in games. In order to maximize the defamiliarization effect, we have decided to adopt the vocabulary associated with dolls as a general framing device. The gender associations that implicitly play a role in these dynamics are also put forward.

Author Biographies

  • Carl Therrien, University of Montreal

    Carl Therrien is an assistant professor in games studies at the department of art history and cinema studies (Université de Montréal). His research interest includes immersion and history of video games.

  • Joyce Goggin, Universiteit van Amsterdam

    Joyce Goggin is professor at Universiteit van Amsterdam. Her research focuses on literature, film, painting and new media, which she approaches from an economic perspective.

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Published

2016-04-01

Issue

No. Spécial (2016): Exploring the Frontiers of Digital Gaming

Section

Articles

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