Dr Frazer Heritage - Birmingham City University

 

Despite being released in 2004, it was not until 2020 when the online videogame World of Warcraft (WoW) introduced its first transgender character (WoWHead, 2020). This paper examines how players responded to this new character – named Pelagos. I analyse official WoW fora to explore how many players were for/against the inclusion of Pelagos, how these views were constructed, and how posters interact with each other. The data demonstrates a surprising backlash to transphobia and overwhelming support for the inclusion of a transgender character. Those who were against the inclusion of Pelagos framed their arguments in terms of objections to political correctness, arguing that gaming should remain politically neutral. By contrast, those in favour of including Pelagos argued that videogames are political by nature. I also examine the second person pronouns used for Pelagos and note that he is very rarely misgendered. I argue that such a positive response has implications for research into Critical Discourse Studies and for videogame companies.