Social Identity Framework and Gender-Based Harassment in Digital Gaming Spaces: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Online harassment in digital gaming spaces has been a prevalent issue since the inception of gaming culture. Thus, this scoping review is aimed at understanding the gamer identity through the lens of the social identity framework and how these factors potentially contribute to the perpetration of gender-based harassment. Following guidelines from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), the following research databases were searched for relevant documents between March and April 2024: SCOPUS, PubMed, Web of Science, and APA journals. After filtering for replications, relevance, and full-text accessibility, a total of 36 articles were included in the final analysis and review. Regarding the four dimensions of social identity framework, 81% (n = 30) of the reviewed articles discussed perception of intergroup context, 62% (n = 23) discussed in-group attraction, 35% (n = 13) discussed depersonalization, and finally 30% (n = 11) mentioned interdependency beliefs. Overall, gender-based harassment in digital gaming is an issue not simply perpetuated by male gamers against female players but also by women against their own in-group, and it results in communities that are extremely hostile and toxic toward out-groups, perceiving diversity and inclusivity as an attack on gaming culture.