ABSTRACT
The power to modify, deconstruct, and push beyond the limits of one’s body has greatly expanded over the past 30 years as science and technology allow for greater transformation of the body’s performance and, to some extent, of its purpose, too. Drawing parallels between the process of body (self-)modification and the video game character customisation process, this chapter analyses the performativity of gender and sexual identities in three Western video game franchises. By focusing on the visual methods employed by video games to explore issues related to the performativity of gender and sexual identities, we emphasise the game design strategies which are centred on body modifications. The selected games represent various genres and gameplay, while sharing a focus on character customisation: role-playing games from the Mass Effect series (BioWare 2010 and 2012); a multiplayer online game called Secret World Legends (Funcom 2017); and a single-player urban life simulator, The Sims 4 (Maxim 2014).
