Virtual Me: Gender and Identity in World of Warcraft

Synopsis: VIRTUAL ME examines the experiences of players of the online game World of Warcraft, focusing specifically on their experience and understanding of issues surrounding gender and identity within their virtual communities and during gameplay. While four of our participants chose to embody characters within the game that aligned with their actual world gender identities, two male players opted instead to play female characters, and the film explores the consequences of both choices.

The film consists entirely of in-game footage along with animations of each participant’s character paired with audio interviews in order to focus on the participants’ in-game representations and identities, rather than on their actual world identities and bodies.
Language: English
Country: United States
Year of release: 2013
Subjects: Anthropology; Technology
Keywords: computer games; gender issues; identity

Name: Royal Anthropological Institute
Contact: Susanne Hammacher (Film Officer)
Email: film@therai.org.uk
Web: https://www.therai.org.uk/film/film-sales External site opens in new window
Phone: 020 7387 0455
Fax: 020 7388 8817
Address: 50 Fitzroy Street
London
W1T 5BT
Notes: The Institute sells more than 250 anthropology and ethnology titles on video and DVD, including some produced by students and staff of the Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology. There is also a large library of internationally produced film and video productions from which items may be borrowed within the UK.

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British Universities Film & Video Council