Chasing the Dragon (Magazine): Gender Erasure Through Discourse in Dragon Magazine, 1978–2005

Abstract

This article examines the methods of discursive erasure of gender occurring in gaming spaces dominated by men. Tom Digby postulates a warrior masculinity honed among boys throughout their early experiences of gender socialization. This indoctrination valorizes manhood acts encouraged in male-dominated spaces. I use critical discourse analysis to examine 45 articles from Dragon magazine, a popular periodical associated with Dungeons & Dragons. I highlight textual characteristics of gender erasure, including pronoun usage, characterization of women as sources of protection, and humor surrounding women’s issues to illustrate how women were sidelined in early gaming subculture. I argue a historical reduction of women’s participation and a persisting male preserve set the stage for the contemporary concerns about gatekeeping and poor treatment of women in gaming and other fandoms.