“I’ll Show You”: K/DA and the Role of the Virtual Popstar in the Games Industry
摘要
This chapter examines the role of K/DA, a virtual pop band conceived by Riot Games, at the intersection of traditions and industries with problematic histories in terms of their attitudes towards and treatment of women. As well as the development of the wildly famous multiplayer online battle arena League of Legends, Riot Games are a company well-known for the gender-based discrimination class-action lawsuit they eventually settled. Moreover, the disposability of female performers has been a sad staple of both the music industry at large and K-pop idols in particular. K/DA operates as a transmedia phenomenon, embodying personas that are both linked to and separate from their video game equivalents, while also relying on a diverse array of real-world performers. In this context, how do female artists, players and characters engage with the complex transmedia marketing machine that is Riot Games Music and its creation? Furthermore, what does a virtual band have to say about the role of women in these worlds that have traditionally been hostile to them? To answer these questions, this chapter situates K/DA in a broader cultural and industrial context, drawing parallels to other virtual performers like Hatsune Miku and iconic video game characters such as Lara Croft, highlighting the potential and limitations of agency within these transmedia characters.