I know it’s a million years away, but I’m excited to say that I’ll be officially participating this September at Arse Elektronika 2008, the awesome sex tech conference we talked about last week. Specifically, I’ll be presenting a topic in the “Narrative” track called “Princess Peach the Porn Star: Power in Erotic Video Game Fan Fiction.” Sound familiar, Heroine Sheik readers? Remember, the theme of this year’s conference is “Critical Perspectives on Sexuality and Pornography in Science and Social Fiction.” From my proposal:

Writing fan fiction is a popular—and often under-appreciated—way for video game enthusiasts to take an active role in their relationship to the medium they love. Frequently composed by younger fans, erotic stories dominate this genre. A survey of video game fan fiction published online shows that, at one time or another, players have used their own words to sexualize nearly every video game character ever created.

What we want to know is why so much video game fan fiction is erotic in nature. Is it because its authors want to see what happens after when their beloved characters ride off into the sunset, princesses on their arms? Or because they’re living out fantasies through the figures they admire and know best? Or is it simply because they have an unshakable case of sex on the brain?

With the help of author interviews and a number of erotic story close-readings, this presentation posits that the sexual nature of video game fan fiction is actually a question of power. Video games give players the chance to exert control over characters. This control is itself sexual—mimicking the power constructs of dominance and submission. When the player writes a piece of erotic fan fiction, he’s taken this control one step farther, manipulating the game to his sexual desires, reenacting his original interactive experience using the creative power of the fan fiction art form…

What do you say? Will I see you there?