The Experiences and Effects of Sexism in Online Video Game Culture

The experiences of sexism in online video game culture are understudied within various human services disciplines, such as social work, counseling, and non-profit management (Gates & Cade, 2016). More study is needed to understand how human service professionals can effectively respond to the effects of sexism in online video games. The researcher hopes to learn the experiences of participants, how they cope, and provide recommendations for human service practitioners in the field. Recent technological advances have resulted in more people spending an increased time in virtual spaces (Lehdonvirta, 2010). The culture of virtual spaces grew during a pivotal stage of development for two generations: millennial and generation z. They created the foundation for it, shaping it to what it might be in the future. Engaging with people who are active in these communities can give a vision of how this generation deals with sexism in the digital video game space. Sexism has been critiqued and well documented within online spaces, but experiences of sexism in video game culture and its implications for human service practice could use further investigation. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis will be used as a methodology to compare participants’ experiences of sexism in online video game spaces. The researcher will acknowledge the ways in which the participants deal, respond, and cope with the sexism they have faced, while exploring and describing participants’ own sense making to identify the core structures of these experiences