| dc.description.abstract | Abstract
This paper will further explore the concept and challenges of gender among men and women in online gaming communities; through primarily focusing on the massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft and looking into supporting literature surrounding the topic of gender in current day society. The research data has been gathered from men and women between the ages of 18 and 34 and the sample size exists of 20 willing individuals that have been interviewed to draw most of the qualitative conclusions. Gender studies and surrounding theories started being researched in the late 1960’s, as of 2023, gender studies within social geography and sociology are still a widely researched topic and this thesis dives further into the online constructs of gender by looking into digital communication, gender stereotypes, and cultural imperialism. The theory of cultural imperialism within globalization investigates how a dominant culture, often Western cultures, can spread ideologies, values, and norms to other societies, potentially leading to cultural homogenization or the marginalization of local cultures. For this study, this theory of cultural imperialism will be used to further analyze the concept of gender and how it is experienced in digital communication platforms such as online gaming communities.
Gender studies and literature often focuses on physical societies of different populations in different countries, however, there may still be gaps within the literature that looks at how these theories get translated to digital communities and online spaces. The findings of this paper aim to contribute to the ongoing gender literature that is available within online digital communities. Due to the pandemic and lockdown in many countries back between 2019 - 2021, the physical social interaction between people was forced to be decreased and as social creatures many of us ended up seeking this interaction online in various ways. Many different online platforms and communities are continuously being researched when it comes to the concept of gender and gender equality, and it may be interesting to also further research the online gaming platforms and communities and see how the concept of gender and gender equality is represented and experienced there. Some may find the discussion intriguing and may provide insights into digital communication, gender equality, gender stereotypes, and online harassment.
Keywords: Gender stereotypes, gender studies, online harassment, digital communication, online communities, World of Warcraft. | |
