Maga ou suporte: hipersexualização e imperativos de gênero na construção de personagens femininas em League of Legends

Soraya Madeira da Silva; Abner Oliveira Lopes da Silva; Pâmela da Silva Rocha

doi:10.5433/1679-0383.2024v45n2p231

Authors

Soraya Madeira da Silva Universidade Federal do Ceará https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8438-4843
Abner Oliveira Lopes da Silva Federal University of Ceará https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8154-1988
Pâmela da Silva Rocha Federal University of Ceará https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8091-5813

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0383.2024v45n2p231

Keywords:

League of Legends;, Gender, Digital games, Hypersexualization, Characters

Abstract

The objective of this work is to analyze the construction of female characters in the online game League of Legends (LoL), considering social and aesthetic aspects explored in the universe of this platform. In recent years, LoL has consolidated itself as one of the largest online digital games and this positioning highlights its relevance as a producer of meanings for players. Based on this, we intend to answer the question: how does the construction of female and male characters in LoL contribute to reinforcing gender imperatives historically present in gamer culture in order to perpetuate misogynistic fantasy narratives? Focusing on gender representations within the game, this article analyzes, inspired by the research of Araújo (2021) and the studies of Schell (2008) and Petry et al. (2013), and with the theoretical contribution of Bourdieu (2012) and Butler (2018), the visuals and stories of three nonhuman female characters, pairing them with three male characters of the same species. As a result, it is observed that there is both hypersexualization of these characters and also limitations in their representations, confining them to restricted models, while male characters present themselves in more diverse ways.

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Author Biographies

Soraya Madeira da Silva, Universidade Federal do Ceará

PhD student in Communication at the Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. Professor of the Social Communication - Advertising and Propaganda course at the Institute of Culture and Art of the Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará

Abner Oliveira Lopes da Silva, Federal University of Ceará

Graduated in Psychology from the Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Ceará

Pâmela da Silva Rocha, Federal University of Ceará

Undergraduate in Social Communication - Advertising and Propaganda at the Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Ceará,

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