Abstract Representation is a complex issue that some contemporary video games attempt to actively grapple with in-game. This paper focuses on Bioware’s Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017). The non-player character (NPC) of Hainly Abrams is examined as an example of transgender representation in the broader marketplace of major studio gaming. The […]
transgender
11 posts
One of the things I enjoy most about writing for Not Your Mama’s Gamer is the sense of anticipation I get when a new game I feel particularly passionate about is released. There are always games to write about, of course, but something about knowing that a game I’ve been […]
I’ve written about coming out as trans before, and I suspect this won’t be the last time I write about it either. Not necessarily because I love talking about my own experiences, but because of the nature of coming out as a constant experience, something that never truly happens once. […]
“Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?” — Terry Pratchett, Going Postal On the Transgender Day of Remembrance, Sunday November 20th, NYMG Writers Lee Hibbard and Jynx Boyne met at an event on Purdue University Campus. The two of them wrote reflections […]
When it comes to performance, I’m something of a jack of all trades. I’ve studied music, theatre, and dance, and even though writing took the front seat on the bus of my vocational life, I can still shake off my mental cobwebs enough to play each of the four instruments […]
Pokemon Go is a lot of things. It came out Wednesday and Sam and Alisha quickly pointed out the flaws in the representation provided by the game, with good reason. In a game that was slated to let “us,” the player, be in the Pokemon world, and be the very best, […]
This all came about because I said “would you kindly get the door,” to a grad student named Patrick. Patrick, better versed in video games than I, hesitated slightly before giving me a wry grin and opened the door for me and the folks we were walking with. It took […]
I set the controller down and looked at my computer screen. Up to this point in Undertale, there had been hints that the character –the one I named Chara–was referred to with neutral pronouns. But I didn’t think it would carry. And yet, here we were. A direct character interaction. […]
Story Time: I sit, staring at the intro screen to, of all things, Pokemon Y. I’ve been here for maybe 10 minutes, staring at a very simple question that Professor Sycamore asked, that every Professor of Pokemon Studies always asks right at the beginning of the game. “Are you a […]
Yesterday, it was reported on Twitter and Reddit that Guild Wars 2, ArenaNet’s MMORPG, had added a transgender NPC — or rather, featured the transition of an NPC, Sya, who had formerly been known as Symon. Sya appeared with yesterday’s game patch that featured the re-opening of Lion’s Arch, a […]
Bloom, by Caelyn Sandel, presents the interactive story of a someone discovering a new identity and wholeness later in life than most. As Sandel puts it, “I started writing Bloom because there are some wonderful stories out there for trans women coming out in their teens and twenties, but few good […]