2025/11/14 by Júlia Vilasís-Pamos, Pablo Romero-Medina · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Digital Games and Media #Gender Roles and Identity Studies #Media, Gender, and Advertising
paper · doi:10.1080/1369118x.2025.2588350
openalex created_date 2025/11/14 · openalex publication_date 2025/11/14 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
This article has a dual objective. First, it analyzes adolescents’ access to video games, their gaming practices, and perceptions regarding gamer identity and gaming culture. Second, it examines how these experiences and perceptions shape their discourse around gender representation in video games. To achieve this, a qualitative study was conducted with 48 in-school participants aged 14 and 15 from the cities of Barcelona and Vic (Spain). Eight discussion groups, separated by gender and social class, and eight semi-structured virtual interviews were held. The study's results show significant differences in relation to the adolescents’ social class and gender, which lead to hierarchies of inequality that shape their access to video games. It seems that inequality not only persists but is also exacerbated by these factors, which in turn affects self-esteem and identification with gamer identity and gaming culture. These inequalities contribute to the videoludic gender divide, confirming its implications beyond adolescents’ gaming routines. In addition, there are significant differences in critical thinking between classes and their discourses around gender representation in video games, especially when fundamental feminist claims are addressed and a critical stance is taken towards the industry's role in the fight for equal opportunities.