Gender Euphoria in Virtual Worlds: A Case Study of Animal Crossing New Horizons

Author/Creator

Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2023-12

Department

University of Baltimore. Division of Science, Information Arts, and Technology

Program

University of Baltimore. M.S. Interaction Design & Information Architecture

Citation of Original Publication

Rights

Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
This item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by The University of Baltimore for non-commercial research and educational purposes.

Abstract

Why do users experience gender euphoria while playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons? The graphics in (ACNH) are stylized and limited. Yet, the capacity for imprinting a player’s identity onto their character is boundless. Abstraction, in this case, works as an anchor for identity. The present study attempts to gather data from players who have experienced this phenomenon in order to add to the literature in discourse with Gender Euphoria, Queer game Studies, and Avatar Studies.