Maiden, Mother, and Crone

"The definitive book on monsters, games, and gender. Stang impresses in this meticulous work, which details everything you ever wanted to know about why women are so often represented as monsters in the media we consume. For fans of fangs, fur, and feminism alike--this one is a must read." --Aaron Trammell, Professor of Informatics, University of California Irvine, USA

"Swimming in the sea of the horrific, Sarah Stang's Maiden, Mother, and Crone demonstrates how our monsters define us, for better or worse. Her smart analysis foists the reader on an odyssey of monstrous feminine archetypes and metaphors in gaming, to demonstrate how the stories we tell--digital or otherwise--are born out of our ideological bugbears."
--Shira Chess, Associate Professor of Entertainment & Media Studies, The University of Georgia, USA

This book examines how the design of female monsters in science fiction and fantasy roleplaying games positions women's bodies and behaviors as transgressive, horrific, and threatening. Engaging with established feminist theories related to nonhumanness, transgression, female embodiment, and the horrific, this book unpacks the misogyny embedded in interactive entertainment media and technology. Utilizing a close reading methodology employing visual and textual analysis of visual design, narrative role, developer commentary, and player reception, it provides a thorough critique of female monsters such as the succubus, siren, broodmother, banshee, harpy, hag, and crone in several games. Focusing on the archetypes of "maiden," "mother," and "crone," this book reveals how games promote misogynistic beliefs related to sexualization and seduction, maternity and pregnancy, and old age and disability and position transgressive women as enemies to be fought and slain by heterosexual male protagonists. Its exploration of the relationship between technology, difference, gender, and monstrosity contributes to feminist media scholarship by highlighting a key problematic in game design that has remained largely unexplored in scholarly and critical writing.

Sarah Stang is Associate Professor of Game Studies in the Department of Digital Humanities at Brock University, Canada, and is on the board of reviewers for Game Studies and the advisory board for Eludamos. Her research primarily focuses on questions of identity and representation in digital games.