Becoming a Gamer: Performative Construction of Gendered Gamer Identities

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openAccess

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A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä

Date

2022-05

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en

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Games and Culture

Abstract

This article examines how women construct their gameplay identities in relation to the hegemonic “gamer” discourse. The article is based on semi-structured in-depth interviews with women who occupy central roles in the Finnish gaming industry. We deploy Judith Butler’s theorization of performative identity construction to examine how the women negotiate their identity in relation to the hegemonic gamer discourse, focusing on how they both embrace and resist the hegemonic, masculine constructions of gameplay. The study shows the dynamics surrounding the gamer identity. While women submit to the hegemonic gamer discourse, reproducing the masculine gamer notions to gain recognition as a viable member of the gameplay community, the study also identifies how subversive opportunities arise as the women deploy new, alternative versions of gamer identity. The hegemonic discourse is subverted through the identity position of tech-savvy, which departs from the masculine connotations.

Description

Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research is part of the first author’s Academy of Finland-funded postdoctoral project “(No)Space for Feminism? Gender and Postfeminist Sensibilities in Male-Dominated Organizations” (Funding Decision No.: 315220). Kivijärvi would like to thank the funder for their support. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2021.

Keywords

digital games, gamer identity, gender, performativity, resistance, diversity, equality and inclusion

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Citation

Kivijärvi, M & Katila, S 2022, ' Becoming a Gamer : Performative Construction of Gendered Gamer Identities ', Games and Culture, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 461-481 . https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120211042260