Contrasting masculinities in Azeroth : the construction of hegemonic masculinity in World of Warcraft

Abstract

Using R.W. Connell’s theoretical framework of hegemonic masculinity, a critical discourse analysis is completed on the avatar creation screen in World of Warcraft (WoW), a popular, online video game. As WoW is foremost a commodity, analysis is contrasted with design and marketing strategies that are provided by a lecture given at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus, on May 7th, 2014 by Rob Pardo, chief creative designer of WoW. Results show that hegemonic masculinity is most prevalent among the images of WoW, and given the commercial success of it as a commodity, this discourse is widely disseminated within context of globalized consumption. WoW as the articulation of a dominant, Western gendered ideology extended to global markets therefore successfully disseminates hegemonic masculinity through the commodification of pleasure.