Child-Killers and Killer-Children

I begin by contrasting the Waif archetype with the Little Monster archetype to highlight the anxieties about agency that are specific to the Waif. I demonstrate that while both archetypes are characterised by the juxtaposition of childliness and monstrosity, this hybridity only generates uncertainty in the case of the Waif. I then argue that the sense of uncertainty associated with the Waif is inextricably tied to questions of control and free will, which are brought to the fore by the interactive affordances of videogames. Through close readings of Little Nightmares and INSIDE, I show how children’s innate weakness is used to obfuscate and justify their structural disempowerment. I argue that the endings of both games force players to confront the assumptions they made about the figure of the child and to rethink the connection between protecting children and dominating children.