Virtually Masculine: Queer Men's Experiences with Harassment in Online Video Games
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK
2019
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1571061741106006 |
| id |
ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-ucin1571061741106006 |
|---|---|
| record_format |
oai_dc |
| spelling |
ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-ucin15710617411060062021-12-16T05:34:01Z Virtually Masculine: Queer Men's Experiences with Harassment in Online Video Games Brenner-Levoy, Jeremy Sociology Masculinity Sexuality Online Nerd Video game Mixed methods I examine how masculine gender norms structure online gaming spaces and the ways in which queer men navigate these masculine environments. Using Connell's (2005) hegemonic masculinity, I illustrate how video game culture mirrors and restructures hegemonic masculinity into a protest masculinity-- A masculine sub-culture that reframes hegemonic masculinity to better suit themselves- which I describe as nerd masculinity. Nerd masculinity is positioned as a subordinated masculinity within greater society, but online gaming provides men an outlet for masculine achievement outside of more traditional means. Previous researchers looking at gender and video games have focused primarily on women's experiences of gender discrimination. I contribute to the literature by building a framework for understanding how men's gendered and sexualized self-presentations are viewed and policed by other men in online gaming. Specifically, I show that queer men (i.e., feminized men) experience verbal harassment from other players, creating a hostile environment. Drawing on 20 semi-structured interviews and 3,129 survey responses from self-identified queer men I illustrate how prevalent harassment is in online spaces. Using OLS regression on my cross-sectional dataset I illustrate that the hegemonic structure of nerd masculinity is multifaceted. Nerd masculinity subordinates feminine and feminized men, men of color, and ethnic minorities resulting in indirect and direct harassment. These types of harassment compound resulting in the highest amount of harassment targeting trans men, feminine men, men of color, and especially those who occupy multiple or all these marginalized statuses. 2019 English text University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1571061741106006 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1571061741106006 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: some rights reserved. It is licensed for use under a Creative Commons license. Specific terms and permissions are available from this document's record in the OhioLINK ETD Center. |
| collection |
NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
Sociology Masculinity Sexuality Online Nerd Video game Mixed methods |
| spellingShingle |
Sociology Masculinity Sexuality Online Nerd Video game Mixed methods Brenner-Levoy, Jeremy Virtually Masculine: Queer Men's Experiences with Harassment in Online Video Games |
| author |
Brenner-Levoy, Jeremy |
| author_facet |
Brenner-Levoy, Jeremy |
| author_sort |
Brenner-Levoy, Jeremy |
| title |
Virtually Masculine: Queer Men's Experiences with Harassment in Online Video Games |
| title_short |
Virtually Masculine: Queer Men's Experiences with Harassment in Online Video Games |
| title_full |
Virtually Masculine: Queer Men's Experiences with Harassment in Online Video Games |
| title_fullStr |
Virtually Masculine: Queer Men's Experiences with Harassment in Online Video Games |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Virtually Masculine: Queer Men's Experiences with Harassment in Online Video Games |
| title_sort |
virtually masculine: queer men's experiences with harassment in online video games |
| publisher |
University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2019 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1571061741106006 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT brennerlevoyjeremy virtuallymasculinequeermensexperienceswithharassmentinonlinevideogames |
| _version_ |
1723964520289796096 |