Perceptions of homosexuality, same-sex practices, and non-heterosexual identities in Japan differ from those found in Western Europe and North America. Historically, practices that would have been labelled as primarily non-heterosexual in the West belong in Japan to specific social spheres that are perfectly hetero-normative. The specificity of these practices in relation to the heterosexual norm has also created a Japanese discourse establishing what happens if individuals step outside of predefined acceptable paths. This presentation explores how JRPGs reflect perceptions of male homosexuality in Japan and the dangers of stepping outside social conventions in regards to male same-sex practices.

About the presenter

Juan F. Belmonte completed his Ph.D disseration on gender and sexuality in video games as a research associate at the University of Murcia, Spain. He was a Fulbright Scholar (2009-2011) at Indiana University, Bloomington and a visiting researcher at McGill University, Montreal, in 2012 and at the IT University, Copenhagen in 2013. His research focuses on the particular ways video games relate to ideology at different levels beyond their most direct audiovisual elements.