What Are The Stereotypes Of Gamers?

“Be a Gamer, Save the World,” written by Jane McGonigal, is an article found in the Norton Reader 14th Edition. Video game critics are often quick to dismiss playing video games as brain numbing and a waste of time. McGonigal challenges critics of video games by discussing the benefits of playing video games. She makes a valid point by stating that video games make players more optimistic and help create better social bonds. These emotions can encourage people to desire working for the betterment of the world. McGonigal believes we can solve some of the world’s most difficult issues with the use of video games. The author makes a valid point, especially considering the advancements in technology and the

As video games become more and more popular, we will inevitably see an increase in amount of video games being produced. The growth in popularity of video games is facilitated by the creation of a website known as Twitch.com. This website allows gamers and content creators to stream themselves playing video games online and interact directly with a live audience via chat. This new platform makes gaming both more accessible and more acceptable. The social stigmas that accompany video games are diminishing; in fact there has been an increase in competitive electronic sports as well. Logically, the growing interest in video games encourages programmers to make more and more games. Melinda Burgess et al presents an interesting perspective about video games. She explores the prevalence of racial stereotypes and how their effects are detrimental to society as a whole. In Burgess’s essay, “Playing with Prejudice: The Prevalence and Consequences of Racial Stereotypes in Video Games”, she provides fantastic commentary on how top selling video games show “overt racial stereotyping” (Lunsford et al 551) and negatively affect how we think. By providing statistics and data about the videogames that she is critiquing, she effectively shows that there is may be a correlation between video games and how we think and interact with the world around us.

Meet Shrek. Shrek is an ordinary guy who has a job, a girlfriend, and a house. He often plays video games in his free time and tells his colleagues about his experiences in gaming. But his colleagues call him a loser and a dweeb for playing games. This is because when the word gamer is said, images of fat, unemployed, basement dwellers who have nothing better to do than play games come to mind.

According to several sources around 42% of the American population plays video games, and around 1.2 billion people worldwide play video games today. Gaming has become an increasingly more popular hobby since its creation. As such the medium has obviously attracted a multitude of different people and groups, all consisting of diverse backgrounds, body types, sexes, races, nationalities and the like. However, contrary to the numerous demographics video games have come to attract, it is very evident the vast majority of them do not seem to be marketed toward many of them via game characters, and their importance, if any, in a game. Video games show an overwhelming amount of white male characters, despite the many demographics they reach. Of the characters that are not white, or male, that are represented, are often represented poorly. For example, many black characters represented in video games are often characterized as vulgar, and violent. Women represented in games are often characterized as support characters, or objects of sexual desire. Considering forms of sexism, racism, and other such types of prejudices are still prominent in modern society, and these representations obviously do not help how people see these marginalized groups. Ultimately, these representations, or lack thereof, affect people in society in a number of ways, by perpetuating prejudice and harmful stereotypes.

Both Alicia Ault and the Banbury Guardian’s articles agree with each other that video games are not damaging to children’s well-being, but they can actually be healthy and improve children’s learning abilities in addition to building cooperative and communication skills. The article “Video Games and Learning” talks about how popular the use of video games for learning has become. It also talks about how gender stereotypes discourage girls from playing video games which may have some consequences for education because of the popularity with them in schools. Alicia Ault, a freelance journalist with a BA in history, writes that “well-designed games can impact learning through play alone … [games] are especially good at motivation due

Subcultures are male-dominated, a space for working class boys to gain status by exalting their masculinity where they can have access to power, status, and prestige. As a result, subcultures glorify traits associated with males such as toughness, delinquency and bravery all the while demeaning traits associated with femininity. This phenomenon is known as the cult of masculinity, which puts females into a “structured secondariness”. There is a male privilege among subculturists because of this cult of masculinity. Nerd masculinity in online gaming encompasses both a critique and reinforcement of the hegemonic masculinity. Female nerds have more difficulty in fitting in because they are stereotyped as unattractive and face more negative

I started off the presentation by drawing from Royal’s (2008) article on Framing the Internet: A Comparison of Gendered Spaces. I explained how the Internet is not as equalizing as it seemed in it’s early days, as it in fact represents much of the same gender issues we see in the offline world. Royal’s article emphasizes this point, so I used it as a jumping off point for my case study. I think this was a useful way to begin discussion on the gendered spaces of online video games because it is important to understand and

Contrary to the stereotypes, most gamers are not a socially isolated. So many of today’s games that your kids play are multiplayer games that require talking and strategizing with other people. According to research by Xbox, “70% of players play their games with a friend, either cooperatively or competitively”. Meaning that not only are they talking to people but they are meeting new people because of the random lobby system that multiplayer games use. The system also put’s you in a “match lobby” Meaning you get put with players who are at or near the same skill level as

Even in the supposedly opened minded and "PC" time of 2016, the internet is still not the best place to be for a woman. From rape threats on Twitter, public shaming on Facebook, and overall female hate found in the dark corners of the internet, we have a long way to go in terms of gender equality. Despite this, all hope is not lost.

People are entitled to their own opinions. And that’s a fact. Some think violent video games are poisoning the youth of our modern day. Although others severely disagree with this point. Two men, J. Ramirez and the other man anonymous, have stated their opinions in written articles. My adult education teacher, Mr. Michael Bittner is having us compare these articles to determine whose argument is supported by the words following their point.

The first thing that comes to mind when someone thinks of videogames is often thoughts of individuals classified as nerds or geeks. At this point in time that is the general consensus regarding this specific subculture. However videogames have become a large part of society and is steadily growing. But for the purposes of this paper people generally think of video gamers as shut-ins and introverts. To the outside world this classification and stereotype is supported at face value.

When speaking to the audience about gaming, we need to explain that gaming can benefit a gamer lower its stress levels, improve their historical knowledge, and offer a wide range of entertainment. Thus,

"Gamer" is a term that means someone who plays games like computer or video games. But nowadays, most people prefer not to use this term because of the stereotypical identity and label of ‘gamer’ in the society. In the article “Do You Identify As A Gamer? Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Gamer Identity”, Adrienne Shaw is trying to deconstruct the popular stereotype of the ‘gamer’, and she find that the identity as a gamer intersects with many factors, like gender, race, and sexuality.

Imagine a world where you can fight dragons in medieval times, be a soldier in WWI, or build a fortress while gathering resources to survive a zombie apocalypse. Gamers can experience all of this and more through the world of video games, but many people have developed false perceptions of who the gamer community consists of. These false perceptions have only formed negative stereotypes for the gaming community, but the truth is gamers can be anyone.

The negative stigma and stereotypes surrounding women in technology often leave women feeling marginalized and discouraged in the workplace. Sylvia Beyer, author of “Why are Women Underrepresented in Computer Science? Gender Differences in Stereotypes, Self-Efficacy, Values, and Interests and Predictors of Future CS Course-Taking and Grades (2014)” attribute these factors as negatively impacting female interest in the technology field. In order to level the technical work field and provide equal work opportunities for both genders, Beyer believes that primary school settings should provide a better environment to foster ones interest in computer science. She believes that changing the way society views computer scientists can have an impact