2024
Legierse, Tom; Ruotsalainen, Maria
Deconstructing Esports : Why We Need to Acknowledge Bodies in a Move Toward More Equitable Esports Practices Journal Article
In: ELUDAMOS, vol. 15, iss. 1, pp. 163-181, 2024, ISSN: 1866-6124 .
Abstract | Links | Tags: Esports, Inequality
@article{nokey,
title = {Deconstructing Esports : Why We Need to Acknowledge Bodies in a Move Toward More Equitable Esports Practices},
author = {Tom Legierse and Maria Ruotsalainen},
url = {https://doi.org/10.7557/23.7704},
doi = {10.7557/23.7704},
issn = {1866-6124 },
year = {2024},
date = {2024-12-31},
urldate = {2024-12-31},
journal = {ELUDAMOS},
volume = {15},
issue = {1},
pages = {163-181},
abstract = {Branding competitive gaming as esports, part of a process known as sportification, has con-tributed greatly to the wider acceptance of competitive gaming as legitimate leisure and pro-fessional activity. However, the social effects of sportification remain largely overlooked in current research. In this paper we argue that in order to understand the normative and formative social effects of sportification of competitive gaming, we need to forefront the bodies in esports. Building on scholarship that highlights inequities in (competitive) gaming and esports, we identify four ways in which bodies are made relevant in esports: 1) the ob-scuring of the playing body and establishment of an idealized and normative masculine ath-letic body;2) the ‘visibility’ of women's bodies as deviant from the norm; 3) the invisibility (and impossibility) of disabled bodies through design (embodied nature of design of both games and gameplay); and 4) the embodied nature of infrastructural issues that cannot be reduced to materiality. We argue for a deconstruction of esports as a social practice that forefronts bodies. Understanding exactly how bodies become relevant will allow us to de-construct the structural conditions of participation that dictate which bodies are possible or not in esports and move towards more equitable esports practices.},
keywords = {Esports, Inequality},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Branding competitive gaming as esports, part of a process known as sportification, has con-tributed greatly to the wider acceptance of competitive gaming as legitimate leisure and pro-fessional activity. However, the social effects of sportification remain largely overlooked in current research. In this paper we argue that in order to understand the normative and formative social effects of sportification of competitive gaming, we need to forefront the bodies in esports. Building on scholarship that highlights inequities in (competitive) gaming and esports, we identify four ways in which bodies are made relevant in esports: 1) the ob-scuring of the playing body and establishment of an idealized and normative masculine ath-letic body;2) the ‘visibility’ of women's bodies as deviant from the norm; 3) the invisibility (and impossibility) of disabled bodies through design (embodied nature of design of both games and gameplay); and 4) the embodied nature of infrastructural issues that cannot be reduced to materiality. We argue for a deconstruction of esports as a social practice that forefronts bodies. Understanding exactly how bodies become relevant will allow us to de-construct the structural conditions of participation that dictate which bodies are possible or not in esports and move towards more equitable esports practices.
2021
Turtiainen, Riikka
‘Dare to Shine’: Megan Rapinoe as the Rebellious Star of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 Book Section
In: Dashper, Katherine (Ed.): Sport, Gender and Mega-Events, pp. 133-148, Emerald Publishing, 2021, ISBN: 978-1-83982-937-6.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Inequality, Megan Rapinoe, Post-feminism, Social media, Sports
@incollection{Turtiainen2021,
title = {‘Dare to Shine’: Megan Rapinoe as the Rebellious Star of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2019},
author = {Riikka Turtiainen},
editor = {Katherine Dashper},
doi = {10.1108/978-1-83982-936-920211013},
isbn = {978-1-83982-937-6},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-11-29},
booktitle = {Sport, Gender and Mega-Events},
pages = {133-148},
publisher = {Emerald Publishing},
abstract = {In 2019, FIFA Women's World Cup turned into a mega event with enormous viewing figures. The U.S. player Megan Rapinoe became a star of the tournament on and off the field. Her controversial presence as an outspoken athlete-activist gained attention worldwide. In this chapter I examine her representations in social and mainstream media during the World Cup. In context of social media I focus on her Instagram posts and ephemeral stories with ethnographic observation and field notes. I utilize feminist thematic analysis of female athletes’ self-representation strategies on social media. The key concepts emphasizing neoliberal post-feminism here are self-love, self-disclosure and self-empowerment. (Toffoletti & Thorpe 2018.) As a result, I argue that the time is finally right for the new kind of recognition of women’s football and therefore need for a rebellious female athlete who takes advantage of this opportunity to raise awareness of equality among (sports) people.
},
keywords = {Inequality, Megan Rapinoe, Post-feminism, Social media, Sports},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
In 2019, FIFA Women's World Cup turned into a mega event with enormous viewing figures. The U.S. player Megan Rapinoe became a star of the tournament on and off the field. Her controversial presence as an outspoken athlete-activist gained attention worldwide. In this chapter I examine her representations in social and mainstream media during the World Cup. In context of social media I focus on her Instagram posts and ephemeral stories with ethnographic observation and field notes. I utilize feminist thematic analysis of female athletes’ self-representation strategies on social media. The key concepts emphasizing neoliberal post-feminism here are self-love, self-disclosure and self-empowerment. (Toffoletti & Thorpe 2018.) As a result, I argue that the time is finally right for the new kind of recognition of women’s football and therefore need for a rebellious female athlete who takes advantage of this opportunity to raise awareness of equality among (sports) people.
Kolamo, Sami; Turtiainen, Riikka
Naisten tennis tasa-arvokamppailun pelikenttänä: Tarkastelussa Suzanne Lenglenin, Billie Jean Kingin ja Serena Williamsin tähtikuvat Journal Article
In: Suomen Urheiluhistoriallisen Seuran Vuosikirja, vol. 2021, pp. 95 - 119, 2021, ISBN: 9789526918358.
Abstract | Tags: Billie Jean King, Feminism, Inequality, Serena Williams, Sports, Star image, Suzanne Lenglen
@article{Kolamo2021,
title = {Naisten tennis tasa-arvokamppailun pelikenttänä: Tarkastelussa Suzanne Lenglenin, Billie Jean Kingin ja Serena Williamsin tähtikuvat},
author = {Sami Kolamo and Riikka Turtiainen},
isbn = {9789526918358},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-01-01},
journal = {Suomen Urheiluhistoriallisen Seuran Vuosikirja},
volume = {2021},
pages = {95 - 119},
abstract = {Women’s tennis has a long tradition in the struggles for gender equality. In the article we study three female tennis stars from the different eras. They are Suzanne Lenglen in the 1920s, Billie Jean King in the 1970s and Serena Williams whose career has lasted for the past twenty years. Our analysis is based on a theoretical reading: we utilize the feminist methodology and Richard Dyer’s views on star images. Our source material consists of historical accounts as well as biographies, documentary and social media texts.
Lenglen can be called as a sporty flapper who revolutionize the style of playing and dressing in women’s tennis. She acted as liberating force in the era in which the rules and style of Victorian society still affected women’s daily life. Like Lenglen, also Billie Jean King emphasized the importance of professionalism. King was the most influential feminist-athlete in the 1970s. The establishment of the pro tour can be considered as her greatest achievement in women’s tennis. Serena Williams has fought, in particular, for the rights of black women. She has also repeatedly spoken about improving the status of female athletes. In her activism for equality and non-discrimination, Williams has taken the advantage of social media. However, as the multiple othering of Williams indicates, there is still abundantly obstacles along the way to gender equality in the world of sport, as well as in society at large.},
keywords = {Billie Jean King, Feminism, Inequality, Serena Williams, Sports, Star image, Suzanne Lenglen},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Women’s tennis has a long tradition in the struggles for gender equality. In the article we study three female tennis stars from the different eras. They are Suzanne Lenglen in the 1920s, Billie Jean King in the 1970s and Serena Williams whose career has lasted for the past twenty years. Our analysis is based on a theoretical reading: we utilize the feminist methodology and Richard Dyer’s views on star images. Our source material consists of historical accounts as well as biographies, documentary and social media texts.
Lenglen can be called as a sporty flapper who revolutionize the style of playing and dressing in women’s tennis. She acted as liberating force in the era in which the rules and style of Victorian society still affected women’s daily life. Like Lenglen, also Billie Jean King emphasized the importance of professionalism. King was the most influential feminist-athlete in the 1970s. The establishment of the pro tour can be considered as her greatest achievement in women’s tennis. Serena Williams has fought, in particular, for the rights of black women. She has also repeatedly spoken about improving the status of female athletes. In her activism for equality and non-discrimination, Williams has taken the advantage of social media. However, as the multiple othering of Williams indicates, there is still abundantly obstacles along the way to gender equality in the world of sport, as well as in society at large.
Lenglen can be called as a sporty flapper who revolutionize the style of playing and dressing in women’s tennis. She acted as liberating force in the era in which the rules and style of Victorian society still affected women’s daily life. Like Lenglen, also Billie Jean King emphasized the importance of professionalism. King was the most influential feminist-athlete in the 1970s. The establishment of the pro tour can be considered as her greatest achievement in women’s tennis. Serena Williams has fought, in particular, for the rights of black women. She has also repeatedly spoken about improving the status of female athletes. In her activism for equality and non-discrimination, Williams has taken the advantage of social media. However, as the multiple othering of Williams indicates, there is still abundantly obstacles along the way to gender equality in the world of sport, as well as in society at large.
2020
Apperley, Thomas H.; Gray, Kishonna L.
Digital Divides and Structural Inequalities: Exploring the Technomasculine Culture of Gaming Book Section
In: Kowert, Rachel; Quandt, Thorsten (Ed.): The Video Game Debate 2: Revisiting the Physical, Social, and Psychological Effects of Video Games, pp. 41-52, Routledge, 2020, ISBN: 978-0-367-36694-0.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Critical race theory, Cultural studies, Discrimination, Feminism, Inequality, Technomasculinity
@incollection{Apperley2020,
title = {Digital Divides and Structural Inequalities: Exploring the Technomasculine Culture of Gaming},
author = {Thomas H. Apperley and Kishonna L. Gray},
editor = {Rachel Kowert and Thorsten Quandt},
url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202101221639},
doi = {10.4324/9780429351815},
isbn = {978-0-367-36694-0},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-11-30},
booktitle = {The Video Game Debate 2: Revisiting the Physical, Social, and Psychological Effects of Video Games},
pages = {41-52},
publisher = {Routledge},
abstract = {This chapter builds on prior work on the discrimination and inequalities that characterize digital game cultures, drawing on work from cultural studies, critical race scholarship, and feminism. It focuses on how the dominant default able-bodied, anglophone, cis-het, white technomasculine culture of gaming shapes the gaming experiences of people who do not conform to the hegemonic norms that culture has established. The chapter illustrates the historical impact of technomasculinity on inequality and discrimination in the diffusion of gaming technology through a discussion of the how early adopters of Microsoft Xbox Live services impacted the experiences of Black users. The wider influence of technomasculinity on online and gaming cultures is further elaborated through the #gamergate
controversy. Finally, the chapter considers how the tactical responses from marginalized communities continue to challenge the hegemonic technomasculinity of gaming culture. This chapter argues that an examination of inequality in digital play demonstrates the need to shift the dialogue around
digital inequality beyond simply “access” to more nuanced understanding of the various matrices of exclusion that people deal with when using gaming technologies.},
keywords = {Critical race theory, Cultural studies, Discrimination, Feminism, Inequality, Technomasculinity},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
This chapter builds on prior work on the discrimination and inequalities that characterize digital game cultures, drawing on work from cultural studies, critical race scholarship, and feminism. It focuses on how the dominant default able-bodied, anglophone, cis-het, white technomasculine culture of gaming shapes the gaming experiences of people who do not conform to the hegemonic norms that culture has established. The chapter illustrates the historical impact of technomasculinity on inequality and discrimination in the diffusion of gaming technology through a discussion of the how early adopters of Microsoft Xbox Live services impacted the experiences of Black users. The wider influence of technomasculinity on online and gaming cultures is further elaborated through the #gamergate
controversy. Finally, the chapter considers how the tactical responses from marginalized communities continue to challenge the hegemonic technomasculinity of gaming culture. This chapter argues that an examination of inequality in digital play demonstrates the need to shift the dialogue around
digital inequality beyond simply “access” to more nuanced understanding of the various matrices of exclusion that people deal with when using gaming technologies.
controversy. Finally, the chapter considers how the tactical responses from marginalized communities continue to challenge the hegemonic technomasculinity of gaming culture. This chapter argues that an examination of inequality in digital play demonstrates the need to shift the dialogue around
digital inequality beyond simply “access” to more nuanced understanding of the various matrices of exclusion that people deal with when using gaming technologies.