Dark Souls of Desire : Video Games, Queer Theory, and Lacanian Feminism

This thesis bridges gender studies and game studies through a conversation between Lacanian feminism, queer theory, and the video game Dark Souls, with the intent to conceptualize new possible directions for queer game studies. Considering methodological and theoretical implications, the thesis explores what it means for queer inquiry into video games to take as its point of departure the concept of the subject as a subject of desire. First, the thesis proposes a triangular model of interpretation that builds on the concepts of rules, fiction, and the player as theorized in game studies. This triangulation involves working with rule-signs, fiction-signs, and the concept of the player-subject, which the thesis develops through Lacanian feminism. The triangular model makes visible the political implications of queer readings, which include or exclude certain aspects of games. Second, the thesis works with Dark Souls to facilitate a dialogue between Lacanian feminism and queer theory, which has implications for queer theory and queer politics at large. The thesis therefore argues that not only can video games be read queerly; they also make it possible to play/think through different theoretical positions, consequently becoming a site of theoretical development. Ultimately, through a conversation between Dark Souls, queer theory, and Lacanian feminism, the thesis demonstrates how Lacanian feminist conceptualizations of the subject as a subject of desire can reorient and revitalize queer game studies into a field capable of tackling the complex queer politics of desire.