Integrative Complexity, Horror, and Gender: A Linguistic Case Study of Until Dawn

Integrative complexity serves as a critical linguistic metric for evaluating cognitive structure and narrative agency within the horror video game Until Dawn. By analyzing the dialogue and character interactions throughout the game, this research demonstrates a clear disparity in how male and female characters are constructed. Female characters consistently exhibit significantly lower levels of integrative and dialectical complexity compared to their male counterparts, indicating a systematic reduction in their narrative depth and decision-making capacity.

These linguistic patterns reveal that female characters are frequently relegated to passive or reactive roles, effectively limiting their agency within the game’s branching narrative structure. While male characters are portrayed with greater nuance and cognitive flexibility, female characters are often depicted through a lens that emphasizes vulnerability over autonomy. This discrepancy suggests that the game reinforces traditional gender hierarchies, positioning female characters as secondary figures whose contributions to the plot are less intellectually robust than those of the male protagonists.

The findings contribute to a broader understanding of gender representation within the horror genre, suggesting that contemporary interactive media continues to perpetuate long-standing antifeminist tropes. By quantifying the lack of complexity in female characterization, this analysis highlights how narrative design choices can inadvertently sustain outdated stereotypes. Ultimately, the study underscores a persistent trend in horror gaming where gender-based disparities in character development remain prevalent, reflecting a wider industry tendency to prioritize male-centric perspectives at the expense of balanced and multifaceted female representation.