Straightwash

Rather than focus on ostensibly queer games, I want to show how doing a queer analysis of mainstream games provides critical ways to demonstrate how most video games strategically deploy and ultimately recuperate and straightwash queer possibilities.

While Undertales queer representational aspects have been straightwashed' by significant sectors of the game's reception, its LGBTQ characters and storylines have proven immensely meaningful for many of the game's queer players.

For all that her character has been created in the interests of reassuring the audience and normalising and straightwashing the story, she has an excellent moment in the climactic scene when Hogancamp declares his feelings for her.

It took me a long time, but I'm so happy that I'm finally in a place where I no longer feel the need to whitewash or straightwash myself in order to fit in.