Mark Hines
Biography:
Mark Hines is a PhD candidate in English at the University of Kentucky. He is interested in representations of race and gender in virtual and fantastic worlds. In particular, he is interested in the capacity for techological and ludic systems to both uphold and undermine ideologies of oppression.
His dissertation focuses on rhetorics and representations of race in fantasy games--from marketing, to text, to reception. His work has been published in Games and Culture, Analog Game Studies, Game Studies, and The Journal of Popular Culture.
Research Interests:
20th & 21st Century American Culture and Literature
gender and race
The Fantastic in Literature and Film
Cultural Studies
Game Studies
Selected Publications:
“A Crown is Warranted With Strength”: Bosses, Fantasy, and Democracy in Elden Ring. Games and Culture. https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120231186476
"An Affront to My People": Excising the Other from the Fantasy of Skyrim. Journal of Games Criticism Surviving Whiteness in Games Special Issue. https://gamescriticism.org/2023/07/27/an-affront-to-my-peopleexcising-the-other-from-the-fantasy-of-skyrim/
“Stats and Soil: Fantasy Ethnostates as Idyllic Worldbuilding in Games.” The Journal of Popular Culture. Wiley Online Library, https://doi.org/10.1111/jpcu.70044.
