Start Date
18-12-2020 12:00 PM
Description
It is no secret that bigotry and harassment are rampant in video gaming spaces. Some prominent instigators of this abuse are traditionalist gamers: gamers who fear diversity and inclusivity will eradicate the masculine-coded games they love. This research project will explore who these gamers are, why they are opposed to diversity and inclusivity in games, and what social justice advocates can do to help this group embrace social change. The way video games are looked down upon by hegemonic masculinity can be very isolating for cishet male gamers, to whom gaming is a safe haven. Any perceived threat to this safe haven, such as the introduction of marginalized voices to gaming spaces, produces a visceral aggressive response born of gamers’ collective trauma from a history of video games being accused as the root of violence and blasphemy. Transforming the gaming community into one homogenous inclusive space is therefore seen as a threat to traditionalist gamers. If we wish to be genuinely inclusive in restructuring the gaming community, we must consider the needs of traditionalist gamers and understand where they come from; the gaming community cannot be a space for everyone if it is not also a space for them.
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Traditionalist Gamers and the Key to Inclusivity
It is no secret that bigotry and harassment are rampant in video gaming spaces. Some prominent instigators of this abuse are traditionalist gamers: gamers who fear diversity and inclusivity will eradicate the masculine-coded games they love. This research project will explore who these gamers are, why they are opposed to diversity and inclusivity in games, and what social justice advocates can do to help this group embrace social change. The way video games are looked down upon by hegemonic masculinity can be very isolating for cishet male gamers, to whom gaming is a safe haven. Any perceived threat to this safe haven, such as the introduction of marginalized voices to gaming spaces, produces a visceral aggressive response born of gamers’ collective trauma from a history of video games being accused as the root of violence and blasphemy. Transforming the gaming community into one homogenous inclusive space is therefore seen as a threat to traditionalist gamers. If we wish to be genuinely inclusive in restructuring the gaming community, we must consider the needs of traditionalist gamers and understand where they come from; the gaming community cannot be a space for everyone if it is not also a space for them.
Comments
Mentor: Sue Scheibler