Gaming at the Edge: Sexuality and Gender at the Margins of Gamer Culture

by Adrienne Shaw

Video games have long been seen as the exclusive territory of young, heterosexual white males. In a media landscape dominated by such gamers, players who do not fit this mold, including women, people of color, and LGBT people, are often brutalized in forums and in public channels in online play. Discussion of representation of such groups in games has frequently been limited and cursory. In contrast, Gaming at the Edge builds on feminist, queer, and postcolonial theories of identity and draws on qualitative audience research methods to make sense of how representation comes to matter. In Gaming at the Edge , Adrienne Shaw argues that video game players experience race, gender, and sexuality concurrently. She How do players identify with characters? How do they separate identification and interactivity? What is the role of fantasy in representation? What is the importance of understanding market logic? In addressing these questions Shaw reveals how representation comes to matter to participants and offers a perceptive consideration of the high stakes in politics of representation debates. Putting forth a framework for talking about representation, difference, and diversity in an era in which user-generated content, individualized media consumption, and the blurring of producer/consumer roles has lessened the utility of traditional models of media representation analysis, Shaw finds new insight on the edge of media consumption with the invisible, marginalized gamers who are surprising in both their numbers and their influence in mainstream gamer culture.

Genres: Nonfiction, Games, Video Games, Gaming, Technology, Gender Studies, Gender

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Mjhancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might write another review later that delves more into content, but for the moment, I'll stick with the takeaway. Anyone, ANYONE, invested in representation and identity in videogames--what races, genders, sexualities, and other minorities are presented in games and how they're presented--should have this book on their shelf. At the very least, read the conclusion where Shaw very cogently sums up the issues raised in the book at large.

[Zach Q · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shaw provides a very strong case for changing the way we think about how players identify (or not) with game characters. Her social sciences methodology is deeply empowering and is a nice alternative to all the work that has been done on the politics of representation from a cultural studies perspective. I just feel that Shaw's whole argument could have been summarized in one or two journal articles instead of a long monograph that repeats itself several times.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book, but it wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. I'm not sure if I'm bad at interpreting titles, or if the title is misleading. What I thought this would be about is the interactions between queer folk and the hetero-cis-white-normative culture that is Gamers. Which, to be fair, the book touches on a little bit.

What it is, mostly, though, is the interaction between people of various identities(gender, racial, sexual) and the games they play. This book explores interaction between player and avatar, player and player, and player and story. There is also a discussion on the meaning and significance of representation. These ideas were fascinating in of themselves, so I was happy to learn about them. As a game developer, the information in this book is very helpful to anyone looking to cultivate a certain experience in a story-driven game. Doubly so if that person is trying to foster inclusivity and social consciousness In the experience they are creating.

My main criticism of the book would be that Shaw sometimes clings onto a point longer than she really needs to. I found myself thinking "yes, yes, I get it!" from time to time. However, the book is definitely worth reading.

[Jane]

I mainly focused on Chapter 2: Does Anyone Really Identify with Lara Croft? Unpacking Identification in Video Games for my Archaeology in Film and Fiction final assessment. It was full of helpful information and a very clear and approachable read.

[Victoria Timpanaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely enjoyed this look at identity and representation in video games. When and why do we look for ourselves in our avatars and game play? Is it truly important and, if so, how do we fix it when it's broken? Learned alot from this text that went beyond the typical media studies approach.

[Zach Rzicznek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any games studies or media representation scholars.

[Liz Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. Really pushes for nuance in an area that sorely needs it.

[Steph Orme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Formal review to come.