It was just a prank, Han! - Wendibros, Girlfriend Woes, and Gender Politics in Until Dawn - Master of Arts Thesis

Sep 4, 2026

Uploaded by Cipher

Horror video games rely on conventional stereotypes to reinforce hegemonic power structures within the cultures that produce them. Using the 2015 award-winning horror video game Until Dawn as a case study, this thesis examines how hegemonic masculinity is constructed and how race and mental illness intersect with traits traditionally marginalized in relation to the idealized white, male saviour role. The research employs intersectional content analysis grounded in R. W. Connell’s theory of hegemonic masculinity and Kimberlé Crenshaw’s intersectional framework.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages118

Reading Time4 h 57 min

AccessFree to download

List of Images

List of Tables

Introduction

Literature

Game Studies, Gender, and Marginalization

Hegemony and Horror

Hegemonic Masculinity

Intersectionality & Marginalization

The White (Male) Saviour

The Structure of Until Dawn

“It was just a prank, Han!”: Wendibros, Girlfriend Woes, and Gender Politics in Until Dawn Rebecca Waldie A Thesis in The Department of Communication Studies Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (Media Studies) at Concordia University Montreal, Quebec, Canada March 2018 © Rebecca Waldie, 2018 CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY School of Graduate Studies This is to certify that the thesis prepared By: Rebecca Waldie Entitled: “It was just a prank, Han!”: Wendibros, Girlfriend Woes, and Gender Politics in Until Dawn And submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Media Studies) Complies with the regulations of the University and meets the accepted standards with respect to originality and quality. Signed by the final Examining Committee: Chair Dr. Matt Soar Examiner __________________________ Dr. Gerald Voorhees Examiner Dr. Fenwick McKelvey Supervisor Dr. Mia Consalvo Approved by Chair of Department or Graduate Program Director 2018 Dean of Faculty ABSTRACT “It was just a prank, Han!”: Wendibros, Girlfriend Woes, and Gender Politics in Until Dawn Rebecca Waldie Horror video games utilize conventional stereotypes to replicate the hegemonic power structures of the cultures from which they are produced. Using the 2015 award-winning horror video game Until Dawn as a case study, the author unpacks the construction of hegemonic masculinity and interrogates the impact of traditionally marginalized traits such as race and mental illness against the idealized role of the white, male saviour stereotype using an intersectional content analysis. The thesis begins with an exploration of the game studies literature around gender and marginalization before transitioning into a consideration of hegemony in horror media, including video games. From there, the author contextualizes R. W. Connell’s conceptualization of hegemonic masculinity and combines it with Kimberlé Crenshaw’s intersectional lens. The literature is encapsulated in a summarization of Until Dawn’s characterization of masculinity, as determined by the theoretical framework provided, as a white (male) saviour archetype. The author dedicates the three subsequent chapters to analyzing, via content analysis, the game’s key forms of marginalization: gender, race, and mental illness In each chapter, the content of Until Dawn is dissected to determine to what degree each marginalized attribute impacts a character’s ability to meet the game’s metric for hegemonic masculinity. The game content considered includes visuals, dialogue, object access and usability, combat scenarios, and storyline. Hegemonic masculinity, mental illness, and the appropriation of Indigenous culture must be critically analyzed; this research adds a necessary consideration of several problematic and harmful representations that are often overlooked in current game studies literature. Dedication and Acknowledgements I would like to dedicate this thesis to the honour of my mother, Wendy Waldie. She was my strongest champion and without her I would never have found the courage to pursue this degree. I made it here because of her and I wish she was here to see how far I’ve come thanks to her. Also, I would like to acknowledge the support and encouragement of my dad, Don, and my fiancé, Tim, who have both stood by me as I forged this new life path. It is only with the dedication and support of my supervisor, Dr. Mia Consalvo, that I have managed to complete this research and I can’t thank her enough for all of her support and encouragement over the last couple of years. I am extremely thankful for my colleagues at Western University’s Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics for their unwavering support and confidence in me. Kathy, Angela, and Greta, it is because of working with you that I had the courage to attempt this program in the first place

FAQs

What game and framework does the thesis use to study gender politics?

The thesis uses Until Dawn as a case study and applies a theoretical framework combining R. W. Connell’s hegemonic masculinity with Kimberlé Crenshaw’s intersectionality, analyzed through intersectional content analysis.

How does the thesis define hegemonic masculinity in relation to marginalized traits?

It examines how hegemonic masculinity is constructed through a white (male) saviour archetype and evaluates how traditionally marginalized traits, including race and mental illness, affect characters’ ability to meet that ideal.

Which forms of marginalization does the thesis analyze in the game?

It dedicates chapters to analyzing marginalization based on gender, race, and mental illness, using content such as visuals, dialogue, object access and usability, combat scenarios, and storyline.

Sep 4, 2026

Uploaded by Cipher