The Interaction of gamer and feminist identities in women

Date

8/21/2018

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Abstract

In 2017, the Electronic Software Association reported that women are just under half of all video game consumers. However, video games as an industry and communities of gamers are apparently resistant to presence of women and especially feminists in these spaces. The events of #GamerGate serve as a stark reminder of the response to women and feminists in gaming spaces. I could not find any research has been undertaken to find out why women who are feminists continue to identify as gamers in the face of such hostility. I interviewed 10 self-identified women who detailed their experiences as both gamers and feminists. I also found that gamer and feminist identities impact each other in complex and surprising ways, leading to the creation of personal philosophies and social groups that support both identities concurrently.

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Keywords

feminism, video games, identity, social identity, #MeToo, #GamerGate

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