Abstract

Machinima is a unique artform that combines the aesthetics of gaming with filmmaking. Machinima challenges existing video game narratives through the remixing of its content. This creation-as-research project is a Sims 4 machinima video diary about negative feelings I experienced as a queer Asian femme during the COVID-19 pandemic. This project explores the topics of machinima, The Sims, women of color self-portraiture and amateur/DIY digital art through the lens of intersectional feminism. These subjects empower marginalized individuals to engage in creative artistic practices, self-reflection and identity formation. Concepts guiding this research include Kate Rushin’s “The Bridge Poem,” bell hooks’ writings on “The Oppositional Gaze” and Donna Haraway’s writings on “situated knowledges.” Together, they describe ways women of color and other marginalized folk can unapologetically engage in artistic creation and knowledge production. The rest of this paper is dedicated to describing how I created my machinima project “burden: a short video diary” with The Sims 4, Fraps, Audacity and Adobe Premiere. This thesis is ultimately a guide for how to create personal, digital art while undergoing great personal difficulty.