Victory Post pt 2
In celebration, here's the abstract! Wahoo!
The Linguistic Construction Of Racial Identity In the Game World
Speaker 1’s presentation will use the tenets of performativity in language to explore identity construction in video games. Judith Butler stretches the limits of JL Austin’s theory to posit that individuals in modern societies are given racial and gendered identities primarily through language- that the act of naming calls these identities into being. As rhetoricians the implications of such a theory are potent, both as researches and as teachers. While this linguistic construction can be difficult to see in a broad sociological lens, where many determining factors affect identity construction, examining the construction of racial identity in role-playing games (RPGs) provides an excellent case study in how cultural knowledge, acquired through language and discourse, accrues and creates racial identities in ways that parallel identity construction in society at large.
This presentation will use one of the biggest RPGs available today, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, to expose how naming enacts racial identity. The game presents players with a complete culture- one that displays a clear political system, cultural myths, and racial tensions. In this game the player’s only choice for interaction, other than combat, is through dialogue. Thus, it is in dialogue that the player is interpolated into the racial system, and constructs a racial identity that conforms with the conventions of the game world.
The Linguistic Construction Of Racial Identity In the Game World
Speaker 1’s presentation will use the tenets of performativity in language to explore identity construction in video games. Judith Butler stretches the limits of JL Austin’s theory to posit that individuals in modern societies are given racial and gendered identities primarily through language- that the act of naming calls these identities into being. As rhetoricians the implications of such a theory are potent, both as researches and as teachers. While this linguistic construction can be difficult to see in a broad sociological lens, where many determining factors affect identity construction, examining the construction of racial identity in role-playing games (RPGs) provides an excellent case study in how cultural knowledge, acquired through language and discourse, accrues and creates racial identities in ways that parallel identity construction in society at large.
This presentation will use one of the biggest RPGs available today, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, to expose how naming enacts racial identity. The game presents players with a complete culture- one that displays a clear political system, cultural myths, and racial tensions. In this game the player’s only choice for interaction, other than combat, is through dialogue. Thus, it is in dialogue that the player is interpolated into the racial system, and constructs a racial identity that conforms with the conventions of the game world.