Fatal Women in L.A. Noire and Disco Elysium
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: L.A. Noire is set in 1947 Los Angeles. Disco Elysium takes place in an invented, run-down city and is often praised as a smart, progressive game. Yet Sara Humphreys finds the same figure in both: the femme fatale of noir, the "bad woman" who deserves her fate. She follows the fans who push back against that convention, and asks what it would mean to play as her instead. [Please note: this essay includes images of violence against women and discusses sexual abuse and suicide.]
Source: Washington State University
DOI: 10.7273/rj6a-gg45
Author: Humphreys, Sara
Language: English
Topic: Digital Games and Media
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7223888976