Gamer Identity and Social Class: An Analysis of Barcelona Teenagers’ Discourses on Videogame Culture and Gaming Practices

Authors

  • Júlia Vilasís-Pamos Universitat Pompeu Fabra
  • Óliver Pérez-Latorre Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Keywords:

gamer identity, social class, gender, teenagers, professionalization

Abstract

This article examines the role played by social class in the construction of gamer identity among teenagers. Studying gamer identity from the perspective of social class is relevant because it is underexplored in academic research while successive global crises are generating large social inequalities, with young people as one of the groups most affected. Methodologically, this research is based on two qualitative questionnaires and four focus groups with 24 in-school teenagers aged 14 and 15 from Barcelona, Spain. The findings show that social class is important for understanding videoludic practices and the medium’s role in teenagers’ socialization processes. Thus, sociocultural background affects the perception and construction of the gamer identity as well as the aspirations that teenagers may have in relation to video games as a possible path for their professional future.

Author Biographies

Júlia Vilasís-Pamos, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Júlia Vilasís-Pamos is a PhD Candidate at Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona, Spain) and a researcher at MEDIUM Research Group. She is currently working on her doctoral thesis about the construction of the gamer identity through gender and social class among teenagers. She has published in journals such as Information, Communication & Society, and presented her work in some international congresses such as DiGRA, ECREA, and IAMCR.

Óliver Pérez-Latorre, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Óliver Pérez-Latorre is an Interim Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain). His research focuses on video game studies and popular digital culture. He has published articles in journals such as European Journal of Communication, Convergence, Game Studies, Social Semiotics and Games and Culture, and he is the author of the book El lenguaje videolúdico: Análisis de la significación del videojuego [The videoludic language: Analysis of video game meaning] (Ed. Laertes, 2012).

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Published

2022-11-30

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Articles