2024
Friman, Usva; Ruotsalainen, Maria; Ståhl, Matilda
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Esports Book Chapter
In: Jenny, Seth E.; Besombes, Nicolas; Brock, Tom; Cote, Amanda C.; Scholz, Tobias M. (Ed.): Routledge Handbook of Esports, pp. 540-550, Routledge, 2024, ISBN: 9781003410591.
Abstract | Links | Tags: DEI, Discrimination, Diversity, Equity, Esports, Inclusion, Toxic meritocracy
@inbook{Friman2024,
title = {Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Esports},
author = {Usva Friman and Maria Ruotsalainen and Matilda Ståhl},
editor = {Seth E. Jenny and Nicolas Besombes and Tom Brock and Amanda C. Cote and Tobias M. Scholz},
url = {https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003410591-58
https://researchportal.tuni.fi/en/publications/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-esports},
doi = {10.4324/9781003410591-58},
isbn = {9781003410591},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-09-24},
urldate = {2024-09-24},
booktitle = {Routledge Handbook of Esports},
pages = {540-550},
publisher = {Routledge},
abstract = {This chapter presents an overview of what diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) mean and how they matter in esports. The chapter describes how esports culture upholds harmful structures and practices, including misogyny, racism, hate against gender and sexual minorities, as well as various forms of identity-based discrimination and harassment, and how this limits participation of marginalized individuals. Further, the chapter explains how these issues are connected to esports' cultural background in hegemonic gaming and sport cultures and the prevalent culture of toxic meritocracy (i.e., a false belief that everyone has an equal chance to succeed despite their background). Finally, the chapter outlines existing good practices and initiatives in promoting DEI in esports, and offers further recommendations in this area. Key highlights include: 1) Participants who do not fit the expected image of an esports player (e.g., women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people) face many barriers for participation and are often excluded from and face systematic discrimination and harassment in esports, and 2) As a new kind of digital sport, esports has an opportunity to create a culture based on DEI, and there are many good practices and initiatives promoting this goal shared in this chapter.},
keywords = {DEI, Discrimination, Diversity, Equity, Esports, Inclusion, Toxic meritocracy},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inbook}
}
This chapter presents an overview of what diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) mean and how they matter in esports. The chapter describes how esports culture upholds harmful structures and practices, including misogyny, racism, hate against gender and sexual minorities, as well as various forms of identity-based discrimination and harassment, and how this limits participation of marginalized individuals. Further, the chapter explains how these issues are connected to esports' cultural background in hegemonic gaming and sport cultures and the prevalent culture of toxic meritocracy (i.e., a false belief that everyone has an equal chance to succeed despite their background). Finally, the chapter outlines existing good practices and initiatives in promoting DEI in esports, and offers further recommendations in this area. Key highlights include: 1) Participants who do not fit the expected image of an esports player (e.g., women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people) face many barriers for participation and are often excluded from and face systematic discrimination and harassment in esports, and 2) As a new kind of digital sport, esports has an opportunity to create a culture based on DEI, and there are many good practices and initiatives promoting this goal shared in this chapter.
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.