Today, mainland China makes up a large part of the videogame industry, with successful titles not only catering the Chinese gaming audience, the largest in the world, but also gaining international...Show moreToday, mainland China makes up a large part of the videogame industry, with successful titles not only catering the Chinese gaming audience, the largest in the world, but also gaining international popularity (Yong and Downing 2008, 515–29). However, former research has shown that inequal gender dynamics in the videogame industry lead to a predominantly male environment, that portrays women in sexist stereotypes (Vysotsky and Allaway 2018, 101). Chinese videogames are no exception to this; in a South China Morning Post (SCMP) interview with a female game concept artist based in Chengdu, there was a strong belief there is “a tacit agreement that female characters in games are supposed to be ‘pretty’ and ‘sexy’ (Shen 2020).” For instance, when designing a new character, the instructions read: “It needs to give people an urge to masturbate (Shen 2020).” This research aims to find the link between gender representations in videogames and traditional Chinese cultural values, comparing and analysing mainland Chinese, Taiwanese, and Chinese diaspora games, which are Chinese games made in a different environment than the homeland. The choice for analysing both mainland Chinese, Taiwanese and diaspora games, based on the respective differences between both societies which makes a comparison possible, requires an explanation that has historical roots.Show less
On September 2nd, 2021, the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) announced new regulations around banning ‘effeminate men’ from Chinese media. This was a new step in the crackdown on...Show moreOn September 2nd, 2021, the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) announced new regulations around banning ‘effeminate men’ from Chinese media. This was a new step in the crackdown on the Chinese entertainment industry. Two weeks later, on September 16th, the NRTA announced that danmei dramas, also known as dangai, would be boycotted from that moment on. Danmei is a genre mostly written by and for women, and it depicts a romantic relationship between men. Dangai is a drama or film adaptation of danmei novels. This thesis will be about the Chinese government’s recently changing views on gender roles due to the tightening of censorship policies on gender roles in Chinese historical dramas. The thesis will focus specifically on historical dramas since this is a genre with growing interest from a large audience all over the world that is now targeted by censorship.Show less
In this thesis, I have found that while China claims to remain neutral between Ukraine and Russia, China’s news media, "Xinhua News Agency" and "China Daily", seem to present a clear antagonist...Show moreIn this thesis, I have found that while China claims to remain neutral between Ukraine and Russia, China’s news media, "Xinhua News Agency" and "China Daily", seem to present a clear antagonist between the countries, namely the U.S. Through several discursive techniques, the two news organizations present the U.S. as a cunning actor that drags others into a ‘proxy war’.Show less
