“Killing those foul witches”: the witch in fantasy medievalist computer role-play games

Abstract

The witch has always been an object of fantasy in Western culture; whether for Othering, identification, or both. Due to the unique coalescing of various traditions into the imagined figure of the witch towards the end of the western Middle Ages, she is an imminently versatile symbol for the expression of sociocultural anxieties and excitements. The representation of the witch as a distinct identity in medievalist fantasy computer role-play games (CRPGs) draws heavily and uniquely on historical discourse and imagined historical authenticity, in such a way that the relationship between fantasy, fairy-tale, folklore, and history operates differently for the witch compared to other narratives in the games. The prevailing narrative role of the witch in these game worlds is as a definitional Other, used as shorthand to convey meanings about the norms of the in-world culture through her rejection of or from it. The categorisation of institutional authority as ordered and Other practices as disordered further incorporates colonialist rhetorics into the use of witch medievalism, particularly through the narratives of valuable scholasticism versus subjective spiritualism. Narratives of magic persecution in the games are designed to resonate with popular perceptions of European witch hunt histories, but with the insertion of the player character as an outsider hero given the opportunity to intervene based on their own (or their character’s) moral positioning. The examples analysed in this thesis are superficially framed through a lens of justice and morality, however they also demonstrate clear trends in which types of character are given the opportunity for sympathy or redemption – the white, conventionally attractive young humanoid women, who can serve a benefit to the player character’s quest. The games’ monstrous hags are never offered this potential restitution. The nature of CRPGs neutralises the theoretical transgressive power of monstrosity to problematise normative boundaries, and instead constructs narratively horrifying and mystical hags who are ultimately always exposed, categorised, and defeated through playing the game’s system. The monstrosity of these hags is defined by their failure in, or rejection of, the expected behaviours or relationships of human women, with emphasis on duplicity. Their stories are dominated by themes of maternity, sorority, and sexuality, which always end with violence or tragedy. These representations decontextualise the forms of horror that manifest in the historical witch, reading them instead as medieval monsters due to cultural perceptions of the middle ages and of witchcraft. Further, these themes are compounded by the normalisation of particular modes of violence and conquest in video games, which encourage players to consider monsters as potential resources that can be strategically extracted to serve a purpose in a broader system. This thesis investigates how the creation of magical worlds in medievalist fantasy CRPGs relies on the incorporation of historical imagination as part of the long tradition of fantasising the witch, as a foundational study that will enable future research into the enchanting ludic witch.