Abstract

Online multiplayer games are notable breeding grounds for toxic behaviour that disproportionately affects marginalized players. For LGBTQ+ players, this is due in part with videogame’s problematic history of queer representations which relied on harmful tropes and stereotypes. Although there have been many efforts for more inclusion and representation in these games, deep rooted hegemonic play structures persist and often players resort to transgressive styles of play to create a sense of community and identity. Despite the toxicity of these spaces, many online multiplayer games have very vibrant and diverse queer player communities, especially the asymmetrical horror game Dead by Daylight (2016). This thesis uses two combined methods of analysis Dead by Daylight (2016) and its surrounding fan-content on TikTok to explore how LGBTQIA2S+ players challenge hegemonic games cultures in online multiplayer games through transgressive queer play. This thesis will first use a media-specific analysis of the game text to explore the queer play potentials of Dead by Daylight. This will inform a discourse analysis of LGBTQ+ fan content on the short form video platform TikTok to explore the documented queer play strategies of players. This project forwards the concept “the queer metagame” to describe the linkages and impact of player paratext and game text, recognizing how queer transgressive play can manifest in online multiplayer games.