Fantasy Worlds, Real-Life Impact
The Benefits of RPGs for Transgender Identity Exploration
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3664855 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sonder Van Wert (Department of Psychology, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St Mary’s City, USA), Kristina Howansky (0000-0003-1704-9436, Department of Psychology, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St Mary’s City, USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 72 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 319-345 |
| Publication date | 2025-01-28 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Homosexuality (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0091-8369 • E-ISSN: 1540-3602 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00918369.2024.2320242 |
| PMID | 38394617 |
| OpenAlex | W4392093629 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 57 |
The current research explored the influences of role-playing video games (RPGs) on the development of gender identity among transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) individuals. In Study 1 (N = 10), we used a Consensual Qualitative Research approach to interview TGNC individuals and identify common themes regarding the perceived impact of RPGs on gender identity development. TGNC individuals highlighted the influence of character customization, exploration, and the function of RPGs as safe spaces. In Study 2 (N = 100), we quantitatively explored the influence of RPG avatar customization on TGNC gender identity development. Although avatar customization was not associated with gender identity commitment, those playing RPGs with highly customizable avatars were more likely to report an impact of RPGs on their gender identity development. Content analyses reinforced Study 1 findings, indicating that RPGs, especially those with customizable avatars, can shape the gender identity journey for TGNC individuals
Aesthetics · Art · Developmental psychology · Identity (music · Personalization · Psychoanalysis · Transgender · Computer Science · Gender, Feminism, and Media · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Psychology · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology
Expecting Rejection
The positive and negative implications of anonymity in Internet social interactions
Data quality in online human-subjects research
Homosexual identity development
A conceptual framework for clinical work with transgender and gender nonconforming clients
Consensual qualitative research
The Sims
Personal, Master, and Alternative Narratives
Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex
Knowing Me, Knowing You
The Self in Social Contexts
Inside out
Safe spaces in online places
Constructions and reconstructions of self in virtual reality
Undertale’s Loveable Monsters
Gender Trouble
What is gender, anyway
Applying the Master Narrative Framework to Gender Identity Development in Emerging Adulthood
The Role of the Avatar in Gaming for Trans and Gender Diverse Young People
Transgender stigma and health
When I click “ok” I become Sassy – I become a girl’. Young people and gender identity
You can’t be deadnamed in a video game”
The virtual census
Living the VirtuReal
Why People Play Table-Top Role-Playing Games
Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory
Self‐disclosure in computer‐mediated communication
Gender identity
Development, reliability, and validity of the Measure of Sexual Identity Exploration and Commitment (Mosiec)
A Guide to Conducting Consensual Qualitative Research
Revisioning Sexual Minority Identity Formation
Sex isn’t Gender
Perspectives and Research on the Positive and Negative Implications of Having Multiple Racial Identities
A self-presentational view of social phenomena
An Organizing Framework for Collective Identity
| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |