Video Games Have Always Been Queer Reviewed in American Journal of Play
Bonnie Ruberg’s monograph “Video Games Have Always Been Queer,” has been reviewed in the American Journal of Play by Leo Bunyea, Worchester Polytech Institute. The book review highlights the contributions this book made to both queer and book studies. We are so proud of your work Bo!
From book review:
Bonnie Ruberg’s monograph Video Games Have Always Been Queer serves to empower the LGBTQ+ community in video game culture. This book puts a variety of games in conversation with critical queer theorists while also drawing attention to nonnormative methods of design and play.
Ruberg often calls for readers to look beyond explicit representation of queer identities in the search for queer themes. Chapter 3, “‘Loving Father, Caring Husband, Secret Octopus’: Queer Embodiment and Passing in Octodad” discusses how Young Horses’ 2014 game Octodad’s difficult control scheme and exaggerated physics allow players to inhabit a nonnormative body and attempt to “pass” as a human father.
However, the strategies outlined in this book are so focused on facilitating close readings of games that literal representation of queer identities feels discounted. The spirit of this work is reflective of the labor, both emotional and physical, that queer people have done throughout history to create their own sense of belonging within a heteronormative society.
To read the full review click here.