Fair Game : A critical examination of gender representation in League of Legends

Sammanfattning: In the last decades, video games have become more visible in the media landscape. With the rise of e-sport, development of infrastructure and progress in technology, online games are becoming an important part of mainstream culture. Previous research has shown that women in video games commonly have supporting roles and are often depicted as passive victims rather than heroes. It has also been found that depictions of female video game characters to a large extent rely on stereotypes and that they are heavily sexualized in their appearance. Male video game characters are predominantly portrayed as physically strong and active heroes and villains. In a critical content analysis, this thesis examines the representations of masculinity and femininity in one of the most consumed media texts of today, the online computer game League of Legends. Drawing on texts on gender, representation and stereotype theory, I explore how representations of masculinity and femininity in League of Legends sustain or challenge dominant structures.