Ordinary Men with Extra-Ordinary Skills? Masculinity Constructs among Mmorpg-Gamers

Abstract

1.IntroductionThe media discussion surrounding digital gaming tends to be risk- and problem-oriented. For example, computer video gaming has been depicted as causing mental health problems (Ahlroth, 2014) and reducing social competence and cognition (Mykkanen, 2013). Such public concerns are often heavily gendered by emphasizing how young boys lose out due to their gaming habits.Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are an easy target of public concern (see Karlsen, 2015). The gamers, who are mostly men, immerse themselves in the graphical virtual gaming environments about 20 to 25 hours a week (Griffiths et al., 2004; Ng & Wiemer-Hastings, 2005; Smahel et al., 2008), they appear exceptionally demarcated from the outside world. The fantasy and warfare milieus of the games are filled with tasks to be attended to through the coordination of the gamers' input. To advance and get the most out of the games, gamers form guilds that usually play together for several gaming sessions. In the public discourse, these online game communities are sometimes portrayed as breeding grounds for male aggression and lost souls (Walker, 2012; Karlsen, 2015). They have even been presented as a backdrop for the antagonized male offenders in school shootings (see Hoikkala & Suurpaa, 2007). Still, not much is known about the masculinity constructs that are upheld through the collaboration and the "we"-spirit of these communities. Although research has covered a myriad of aspects of strong and intense social bonds between players (e.g. Verhagen & Johansson, 2009; Li & Alfano, 2006; Nardi & Harris, 2006; Hsu et al., 2009; Quandt & Kroger, 2013), less is known about how masculinity constructs work as social glue in these processes. There is, no doubt, a need to analyze the masculinity constructs that gamer communities are, in fact, nurturing.In this study, we inquired into the masculine identities in applications (N=210) for community membership of one of the largest MMORPG gaming communities in Finland. The community has more than 2400 members, of whom less than 6% are women (2016). The study analyzes how the gamers present themselves as persons and as gamers, paying special attention to the nature and functions of their masculine identity. As both identity and masculinity positions are fluent concepts, we employ three gamers' identity positions (virtual, real, and projective, as suggested by Gee, 2003) and three masculinity positions (heroic, ordinary, and revolting, as suggested by Wetherell and Edley, 1999) for creating order and making sense of our observations.We start by presenting some earlier research on MMORPG as well as our theoretical framework. Then, we report the results. In the end, we discuss our contribution, drawing up a grid that summarizes the masculine identities construed in the community under study.2.Social and Gendered WorldsMMORPG gamers typically create and sustain order within gaming guilds and clans by community rules. These rules have been shown to keep the group together and give it a cohesive identity (e.g. Johansson, 2013). Common MMORPG guild rules include being respectful to all participants, avoiding all kinds of discrimination, keeping drama to a minimum, avoiding foul language, and not taking in-game misfortunes too gravely (ibid.). Being a good ambassador for the group, being fair, following the rules, and committing to the group are other highlighted features (Johansson, 2013; similar findings by Foo & Koivisto, 2004).The community of this study is glocal: it is based in Finland and its communication language is Finnish, but as MMORPGs are web-based and global to their character some English terminology is employed and participation is possible from any part of the world. The community's members refer to it as "The Clan." To join The Clan, gamers must accept the community rules (e.g. showing respect and avoiding foul language) and assure that they are more than 18 years of age. …