Last week on Paranormal Pajama Party, we met the monster girls of Greek mythology. This week, in part two of our monster girls series, we’re considering the representation of monstrous women in horror video games.
Monster girls are female-coded creatures that blend human and monstrous elements, often portrayed as both alluring and terrifying. This duality reflects male anxieties about female sexuality and autonomy.
We’ll explore the origins of monster girls in various mythologies and their roles in tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons, emphasising how these characters often reinforce patriarchal views by fitting into archetypes: maiden (sexual), mother (pregnant), and crone (ageing and unattractive).
We’ll also discuss the toxic culture within the gaming industry, exemplified by events like GamerGate, a harassment campaign targeting women in gaming.
Luckily, it’s not all bad news. Positive changes are occurring, with more inclusive game design and diverse representation slowly improving the industry, and legislative progress for victims of cyber-harassment.
Still, here at Paranormal Pajama Party, we’re all for more creative portrayals of female characters that break away from traditional sexist tropes (who doesn’t love and fear GLaDOS from Portal?), and for diverse voices in all areas. And we love a monster girl – they remind us that it’s okay to be angry, push back, and demand more.
Key moments
- 1:08 – Alex meets the spider woman
- 3:51 – Recap of last week's episode
- 5:39 – Meet the monster girls of video games
- 11:01 – Maiden, mother, crone archetypes and the triple goddess
- 19:35 – Psychological effects of sexualised character portrayals
- 22:06 – GamerGate and the alt-right
- 26:22 – Things start to look up
If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review Paranormal Pajama Party to help others discover it!
View all my sources for each episode and read the episode transcript here.
Follow @ParanormalPJParty on Instagram or subscribe to the podcast's newsletter, Lights Out!
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.