The gendered nature and malleability of gamer stereotypes
Morgenroth, T; Stratemeyer, M; Paaßen, B
Date: 2 June 2020
Article
Journal
Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking
Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert for International Association of CyberPsychology, Training and Rehabilitation (iACToR)
Publisher DOI
Abstract
Video gaming is seen as a male space. Female gamers are seen as atypical, have their
competence challenged, and face more harassment than male gamers do. This precarious position
is increasingly problematic as video gaming is now one of the most prevalent leisure activities,
providing an opportunity to both forge and maintain ...
Video gaming is seen as a male space. Female gamers are seen as atypical, have their
competence challenged, and face more harassment than male gamers do. This precarious position
is increasingly problematic as video gaming is now one of the most prevalent leisure activities,
providing an opportunity to both forge and maintain friendships, and to achieve social status and
career opportunities. We argue that the marginalization of female gamers is driven by masculine
gamer stereotypes. We investigate the content and gendered nature of gamer stereotypes as well
as their malleability in response to exposure to female gamers across two studies (NStudy 1=287;
NStudy 2=176). We explore the content of gamer stereotypes and find that they contain both
negative aspects, such as lacking social skills, and positive aspects, such as being competent and
agentic. Both studies demonstrate that gamer stereotypes are more similar to stereotypes of men
and boys than those of women and girls. In Study 2 we test whether exposure to a female gamer
can change the negative association between female stereotypes and gamer stereotypes, finding
support for this prediction. We conclude that gamer stereotypes are highly gendered but may be
malleable: increasing the visibility of female gamers could potentially reduce the incompatibility
between femininity and gaming.
Psychology - old structure
Collections of Former Colleges
Item views 0
Full item downloads 0