conceptual skeleton

Foreclosing Possibility in Virtual Worlds:
An Exploration of Language, Space, and Bodies
in the Simulation of Gender and Minecraft

(link to pdf)

This thesis is a textual analysis and discourse analysis that examines the social and programmatic construction of the videogame Minecraft by interrogating how code, design, and fan modifications limit and facilitate play in and outside the game. This thesis will argue that the constitution of gender—and subjectivity, more broadly—is reflected in the language, space, and bodies that shape the boundaries of the virtual world. What makes a player “cyborgian” when they embody a virtual avatar may have less to do the abstraction of agency into a computerized self and more to do with the way in which humans create and maintain conduits to exist between worlds that are both digital and material.

the feminism brand

when someone criticizes my explications, my opinions, in a private space

I am able to process that feedback in a private way. I can meditate, mediate, talk-back, accept, reject, and ultimately move on. the criticism ultimately fades or becomes part of my newfound way of thinking;

when someone criticizes me in public

there is nothing private about the processing of that feedback. everything about that process becomes entertainment for someone I don’t know. I become a circus performance.

I’ve been following the “feminist infighting” (brief guide). the language about “toxic” culture is horse shit, unless you’re more concerned about your brand than the way your message is received by others.  branding is negatively affected by critical engagement with your ideas and messages. branding is affected long term when you offend another person inadvertently. people are able to grow from criticisms, form new relationships with each other, apologize, and learn—but brands are destroyed and must be rebuilt over time. 

on Twitter everyone has a branded identity, but not everyone is invested in their brand. those who are—those who benefit financially—are naturally going to perceive criticism as inherently toxic.

bullying is a form of harassment.

criticism can certainly feel like harassment, but if you identify

“hey, what you just said was hurtful”

as harassment….

you’re going to have a bad time on the internet.

puzzles or poison?

[context]

When I first played Candy Crush at GDC 2013 in San Francisco, I was offended by the condescending circus cartoons that seem to mock your progress (or lack thereof) at every turn. I quit playing after one game thinking, Pokemon Puzzle League is so much better than this.

Fast-forward 3 months and I’m sitting on the subway in London. My partner is sitting next to me crushing candies, and I am bored. He eventually waves me away; Get your own game, he says.

I’ve crushed candies most everyday since; but I think my friends believe that the game has been playing me instead.