Keiran Smith Jefferey Brzezinski ANT 1001 April 29th, 2024 Essay Part 3 Introduction Video game culture has developed and grown for nearly 70 years, and its effects can be seen in people of different ages, cultures, and gender identities. Video games are important to many people, and they have affected many lives over the course of their existence. The issue that plagues video games is that they have always been overshadowed by controversy due to their content and the nature of their player-base. Though they have been treated like a problem since they became popular in the 80’s, video games are an extremely influential form of media that does not seem to be dying down anytime soon. Due to this fact, I believe that the way in which gaming culture has evolved and changed throughout the past 66 years has affected people of different gender identities, made intercultural communities, and how popular media views it. Overview Video games have existed since the creation of the first game in the year 1958, with the making of a game called Tennis for Two by a physicist named William Higinbotham (Tretkoff). They have gone from being radar displays and oscilloscopes in the 60’s, to being insane technological wonders within our modern world (Metuarau 4). From the influence of youtubers to hardcore gaming tournaments, video games have developed and flourished into an intercultural sensation that connects many people from around the world together. Many people have built their lives around playing these games, to the point that they have developed a kind of culture revolving around them. Not only are video games influential to ordinary people like you, but they have an insane impact on the people who create and develop them. The developers for video games are the reason why the culture exists in the first place, as they are the ones who made it possible for people to connect with each other through the platforms they have created. As video games became more accessible for players, they also became easier to create, with gaming engines being developed to allow more people to be able to create their own video games, drawing even more people into the culture (Metuarau 18). Public Perception Although the influential nature of video game culture cannot be understated, it has not always been displayed in a positive light. Both video games and gamers have been stereotyped, demonized, and generally looked down upon by popular media and the public eye for decades. While during the 80’s video games were thought to be just another children’s toy, the public view of video games throughout the 90’s and 2000’s developed into people believing that they caused violence (Wellings 15). The reason for these accusations is many, as the demonization of video games began to increase around the beginning of the 90’s with the release of more violent video games like Mortal Kombat in America. Popular media began to tell parents to steer their kids away from playing video games to prevent them from becoming “addicted”, “hypnotized,” or developing “violent tendencies” (Wellings 11). This claim that video games cause violence is not supported by evidence however, as studies have been held that prove playing violent video games does not increase violent behavior seen in children (Wellings 16). The stereotypes that gamers have been pinned with are not accurate depictions of all gamers. While some gamers can become overly obsessed with their favorite video game to the point of sinking thousands of dollars and hours into it, they are not the core example of the gaming community (Wellings 17). One common stereotype outlined by many is of most gamers being unhealthy young men who only play competitive shooters and rage quite often (Wellings 21). This is inaccurate as gamers come in all shapes and sizes, which is the case because games are widely accessible to the public and not all games are the same. The gaming community is not just one big group of people playing the same few games, instead, the gaming community is separated into many different subgroups and genres. The gaming community is full of variety for all kinds of people, as you have groups for casual games, difficult games, FPS games, competitive games, indie games, and many more. When popular media and people try to generalize gamers into these stereotypes, the inaccuracy of the stereotypes given cannot be understated. While these issues still exist with the views of gaming culture, People have begun to view it in a more positive light over the past few years. Based off a study in 2018, 89% of people believe that gaming is beneficial to society, and over 93% of people think popular media’s depiction of video games are unjust (Anderton). Using this evidence, it is plain to see that even with popular media’s continued slander of video games and their players, people have begun to accept them more and more. A quote I believe describes this perfectly is, “The voice of gamers is going to play a big role in the future as gaming culture continues to develop and grow.” (Anderton). This quote perfectly outlines the beliefs of gamers about their culture, as they will not take the hate for what they enjoy any longer, and they will speak up so that their voices are heard by everyone. Gender Roles Gender roles have existed within different cultures for centuries, and video game culture is no different. Female gamers have faced scrutiny by both gamers and non-gamers since video games first became a popular form of media. Video games have been considered a more maledominated environment since their inception, making it difficult for women who want to join the gaming community (Lopez-Fernandez et al.). Woman are seen as a rare sight when playing games online, and when they are part of a team they are treated like an inherently bad player, and the “token female” of the group (Lopez-Fernandez et al.). This stigma is not just seen within the games themselves, but also occurs within the development teams of the games too. Female gamers are over-sexualized when playing games online, as not only are female characters in video games over-sexualized, but the players themselves are seen as a hot girl that the male players can win over (Lopez-Fernandez et al.). Female gamers have their skill questioned quite often when playing games both online and offline. They have been considered to be inherently worse players than men, with the only reason cited being the matter of their gender. An example of this matter would be, “This incident included Perez slandering Day, reducing her to a sexual image, instead of an actual gamer. Perez suggested that she had poor gaming skills, and Wheaton defended Day (77).” (Lopez-Fernandez et al.). In this example we are shown a male game blogger slandering a female gamer for no real reason other than her being a woman (Lopez-Fernandez et al.). He denotes her to her sexual image, and states that she is a bad gamer, just because she is not a man like him (LopezFernandez et al.). The issues of gender in video game culture have been around for decades, but it is getting better over time. This is because more and more female gamers are coming to the community and inserting themselves into the culture. Female gamers are gaining more respect and coverage by the day, and this is because they are sick of hiding their interest in gaming. A quote I believe best sums up this idea is, “In the context of women’s position in gaming culture, this contemporary feminist movement helps support the view of women as being just as capable and skillful gamers as men and require just as much respect and recognition from gaming culture, which they are part of.” (Lopez-Fernandez et al.). This best sums up the idea because women are not planning to be gatekept from gaming any longer, and they will become a larger part of the gaming culture whether male gamers like it or not. Intercultural Communities and Education The largest aspect of gaming culture is the fact that video games can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of where they came from. All gamers play video games for the same reason: escapism. Everyone needs to take a break from their lives from time to time, no matter who they are, or where they’re from. This is why people from all around the world group together under the scope of video game culture. Video games have formed massive intercultural communities since the premier of online gaming, which continue to grow larger by the day. One reason for how these communities are cultivated is their accessibility throughout many countries. This is because many game developers take the time to research international censorship laws, appropriate pricing in different countries, and make changes so the game is acceptable in each cultural market (Chan and Yip). Not only does video game culture foster intercultural relations, but it also helps to provide a platform for learning the innerworkings of different cultures and aids the development of intercultural skills. Through interactions between players of different cultures, they begin to learn more information about each other’s culture, and they adapt to be more inclusive toward those individuals (Shliakhovchuk and García 47). Players can also gain knowledge of different cultures through the games themselves though, as many games that are made include aspects of different cultures in their narratives and gameplay (Shliakhovchuk and García 48). Some video games are used to help with teaching new concepts in school nowadays. A few examples of this are Minecraft Education Edition, Roblox, and Kahoot!. These games are used because they are very easy to implement lessons into. An example would be how during the pandemic, geography teachers used Minecraft Education Edition to help in teaching cartography (Gimenes and Carla 2). Conclusion In conclusion, video game culture has become extremely influential and impossible to avoid nowadays, as it has grown to encompass many people and cultures across the globe. Video game culture has defined itself as a force to be reckoned with, to the point where it crushed the bad views popular media had of it. Gamers did not stop when video games were demonized by popular media, instead they continued to grow their community until they outnumbered popular media ten thousand to one. When female gamers were put down by the public and the gamers around them, they rose and let their voices be heard until they were accepted. Video game culture cultivated friendships and international communities with its accessibility and ideals. Video games have become successful in every regard, as they have cultivated international bonds, changed the public’s views, become inclusive to everyone, and become an educational tool. This is why I believe that the way in which gaming culture has evolved and changed throughout the past 66 years has affected people of different gender identities, made intercultural communities, and how popular media views it. 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Meriläinen, Mikko. “Crooked Views and Relaxed Rules: How Teenage Boys Experience Parents’ Handling of Digital Gaming: Article.” Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, 6 Jan. 2021, www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3193/1922. Wellings, Elizabeth Hanson. “The Negative Stereotypes of Online Gamers and Their Communication Consequences.” Research and Scholarship Repository, Heather C. Galloway, 1 Dec. 2010, https://digital.library.txst.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/0b527d2f7ce4-4512-98dc-fdb433938306/content. Anderton, Kevin. “The Impact of Gaming: A Benefit to Society [Infographic].” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 25 June 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/kevinanderton/2018/06/25/the-impact-ofgaming-a-benefit-to-society-infographic/?sh=3a9542f269de. Chan, Vincent, and Patrick Yip. “How to Launch Games in Multiple Countries.” OneSky Blog, OneSky, 7 Sept. 2021, www.oneskyapp.com/blog/how-to-launch-games-in-multiplecountries/. Gimenes, Carla, and Barbara Jordão. “Challenges in the Teaching of Cartography during the Covid.” Copernicus, Copernicus, 16 Dec. 2021, icaproc.copernicus.org/articles/4/99/2021/ica-proc-4-99-2021.pdf.
