Radical Gender Neutrality: Agender Euphoria in Gaming and Play Experiences

Paper Title

Radical Gender Neutrality: Agender Euphoria in Gaming and Play Experiences

Publication Info

• Topic area: Exploring agender euphoric experiences in gaming and their implications for game design.
• Keywords: Agender, gender euphoria, game design, player experience, identity, human-computer interaction, queer game studies, avatar customization, gender neutrality, marginalized identities.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Agender euphoric experiences in games have been largely unexplored, with limited empirical research on how games can create or inhibit such experiences. Existing studies often conflate agender identities with broader non-binary or transgender categories, obscuring the unique aspects of agender experiences.
• Significance: Understanding and designing for agender euphoria can enhance inclusivity in games, providing marginalized players with meaningful, affirming experiences. This contributes to broader efforts in human-computer interaction (HCI) and game design to address underrepresented identities.
• Motivation and related work: Prior work has explored gender euphoria, particularly for transgender players, and the role of games in identity expression. However, only a few studies, such as Whitehouse et al., have touched on agender experiences, leaving a gap in understanding the distinct nature of agender euphoria and its design requirements.

Solution

• Proposed approach: The study investigates agender euphoric experiences in games through a critical incident technique (CIT) survey with 142 participants, aiming to uncover the nature of these experiences and provide design guidelines for enabling them.
• Novelty:
  1. Empirical exploration of agender euphoria as a distinct phenomenon in games.
  2. Development of a thematic framework ("prism") connecting agender experiences with game design elements.
  3. Identification of barriers to agender euphoric play and actionable design guidelines.
  4. Introduction of agender euphoria as a design goal in games and interactive media.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Conducted an online survey using CIT to collect detailed accounts of agender euphoric and non-euphoric experiences.
  • Supplemented qualitative data with quantitative measures of affect, well-being orientations, player experience, and long-term meaning potential.
  • Analyzed data using reflexive thematic analysis and statistical methods to identify patterns and correlations.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • Agender euphoria is characterized by feelings of happiness, joy, and contentment in gender-free embodiments, spaces, and activities.
  • Positive affect was significantly higher than negative affect (mean positive affect = 3.5, negative affect = 1.2).
  • Hedonia (mean = 6.0) and eudaimonia (mean = 4.0) were positively correlated, with long-term meaning potential rated high (mean = 4.9).
  • Key themes include "Agender Baseline" (gender-free experiences), "Agender by Design" (representation and validation), and "Agender Play" (projection, evasion, exploration, subversion, and reflection).
• Advantage over baselines: The study expands on prior research by focusing specifically on agender euphoria, distinguishing it from broader gender euphoria and providing actionable insights for game design.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Participants included 142 agender+ individuals, with diverse identities such as non-binary (n=76) and agender (n=69).
  • Data collection included qualitative prompts about specific game experiences and quantitative measures like I-PANAS-SF, HEMA-R, PXI, and LTMP.
  • Thematic analysis revealed patterns in how games enable or inhibit agender euphoria.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Sample limited to English-speaking, predominantly white participants.
  • Reliance on post-hoc recall via CIT may affect data accuracy.
  • Future work should explore agender euphoria in non-Western contexts, involve participatory design with agender+ players, and refine quantitative measures to better capture euphoria.

Summary

This study introduces and explores the concept of agender euphoria in gaming, identifying it as a distinct phenomenon characterized by joy and affirmation in gender-free experiences. Through a survey of 142 agender+ players, the authors developed a thematic framework linking agender experiences with game design elements, such as character customization, narrative, and social interactions. Findings highlight the importance of gender-free play, flexible customization, and inclusive design practices. The study provides actionable guidelines for game designers to create agender euphoric experiences and calls for further research to expand understanding across diverse cultural contexts.