The gaming subculture consists of individuals who are devoted to playing games as a hobby. It is different from people who engage in such games once in a while. The culture is influenced by a new media culture which has been enabled due to the presence of the video games. The size of this culture is not yet documented but what is known is that with the advancement in technology, the gaming culture has been on the rise. It is a popular culture all over the world and mostly resonates well with the young people in the society. The objective of this research would be to analyze the tenets, contents, and beliefs of the gaming culture and the role of young women in the gaming subculture.
Fieldwork
Various research methods were used with an aim to find answers to the two questions that form the objective. The first question was framed as ‘’what makes up the gaming culture in terms of the content and the beliefs amongst the people involved?’’ and the second question that answers were sought was ‘’what is the role of young women in the gaming culture?’’ Several research methods were employed that were keen to collect data. The methods that were used included interviewing, filling of questionnaires, observation, and ethnography. Interviews were organized with one male and female gamer and a non-gamer. Questionnaires that were prepared for this procedure were both in open-ended and closed format. The observation and ethnography methods were carried out by one of our team members who decided to temporarily relocate to a place where video games are mostly paid to make observations and live amongst the gamers to acquire firsthand information.
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Results
From the four main types of data collection methods that were used there were some general consensus that were found in the research. On the question of what the culture entailed with regards to beliefs and the general way of life, the character of an individual plays a big role in the success in this culture. Winning in this culture is about who get the most out of the played games. It affects the communication of individuals especially using the phone because total concentration is vital. The composition of the culture can be considered as clan members that are made from friends. Also, there are certain celebrations that are associated with winning or succeeding from the games. The gaming culture can also constrain relationships with other people in the world.
On the question of the role of young women in the gaming culture, it is a general belief that women have little to play in this culture because of their limited participation. The reasons that were revealed for their limited participation include the fact that they are normally stereotyped that technology is not a thing for the girls. Some of them are also exposed to harassment by their male counterparts as was revealed in the interview. Some are abused and mocked hence their tendency to shy away from such
Problems Encountered In the Field
The first major hurdle that was experienced during the research was uncooperative respondents. It was difficult to get the gamers themselves to answer the questions that we had prepared in the interview because most of them were busy indulged in the game and those who seemed to be free were insisting on waiting to take part in the games. Finding female respondents was difficult in particular especially those who participated in the games. Some people who dishonest in the questionnaires and were not keen to give us a reflection of what they truly believe with regards to what were specifically asking of them.
Discussion
With regards to the question on what entailed the culture and the general beliefs, we were able to acquire an extensive amount of information that helped us to make an informed judgment about the gaming culture. The first belief that was made clear by most male respondents was that females were terrible at the games. From the observations, it was evident that the game requires a high level of concentration and commitment to come out victorious. The people involved have developed unique celebrations to mark their victories. The culture has a unique slang that included words such as ‘’hacker’’ ‘’newb’’ and ‘’lag’’ among others that were contextual. From the ethnographic research, it was evident that most gamers had a poor relationship especially with people outside their culture due to their over commitment with the games. From the research, we were also able to debunk some myths that have always been associated with this particular culture. The first myth that was disapproved is that the gaming culture mostly comprise of the children. From the research it was evident that a majority of the players were above the age of 18. Another myth that was debunked was the fact that gaming is a culture for boys alone.
With regards to female involvement, their participation still remains low, thanks to the provisions of gender roles in most communities. Their frequent harassment, stereotyping, and violence against them have markedly minimized their participation. However, from the research it was evident that girls participate in such cultures, especially where their safety is guaranteed. In conclusion, gaming is a contemporary culture that is brought about by the advancement in technology in the area of video games. It is played all over the world and has a prospect of expanding. Gender disparity is still a major problem and hope for the future is that women will feel safer to take part in these games.
