‘Gamers’ Crafted by Consumption: The Influence of Consumption on Gender Identities in Video Games

Abstract

Playing online games is a highly gendered consumption activity. While female players are objectified and harassed within the gaming community, male players tend to be stigmatized through unfavorable stereotypes. More than a label of players, ‘gamer’ forms an identity that can grant membership in gaming communities. The gamer identity is defined through consumption, yet material elements have been granted a minor role within studies of gender identity in video games. Through 41 play-along interviews with children and youth aged 10-24 years, this article seeks to understand how consumption patterns shape and reinforce gender identities in games, and by which market mechanisms gendered consumption patterns are maintained. By drawing on Social Identity Theory, the findings suggest ‘legitimate’ gaming is associated with gendered expectations for the choice of gaming consoles, types of games, and in-game products. These expectations are organized within a hierarchy among players, where certain consumption patterns are assigned greater value. When female players adhere to these consumption patterns, they may face harassment and strategic disadvantages. Additionally, transactional interactions between genders and household dynamics imply female dependence. These gendered consumption patterns are encouraged and enabled through market mechanisms such as game design and marketing ideas. The findings are discussed in terms of how gendered consumption influences membership in the gaming culture and encourages the promotion of inclusion in game design and gaming platforms.