Trans* and gender diverse players, avatars, and the performance of gender

Trans* and Gender Diverse (TGD) players are a minority who are uniquely positioned to take advantage of the virtual, anonymous, and invisible nature of videogames to overcome offline obstacles. Yet little research has investigated these players, and most works exclude TGD players due to heteronormative assumptions. This thesis draws on queer game studies to investigate TGD players’ use of videogames. Forty TGD participants were interviewed to gain insight into if, how and why TGD player’s videogaming related to the expression or exploration of their gender-identity (GID), and any effects this has. Through phenomenological thematic analysis, it was found that the participants used videogames, particularly avatars, as method of GID expression and, to a lesser extent, exploration. Participants used avatar appearance, and supporting features, such as pronouns, and personality, in this play. The findings are framed against existing literature to reveal the heteronormative assumptions such works draw upon, particularly in research concerning player-avatar relationships, gender performances and gender-bending. The findings of this thesis have implications for future games research concerning gender, revealing that gender performances cannot necessarily be identified through external observation. This thesis encourages future works to define gender clearly, and aim to subvert heteronormative assumptions, particularly those of cisnormativity.