Alt-right Shadows over Gaming and Masculinities: A Systematic Narrative Review

Authors

  • Pablo Romero-Medina Ph.D candidate, Department of Political Science and Administration, Universidad de Granada (University of Granada), Granada, Spain Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4042-7992
  • Júlia Vilasís-Pamos Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Pedagogy and Educational Psychology, Universitat de les Illes Balears (University of the Balearic Islands), Palma, Spain Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2060-4544

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52152/RCR.V12.10

Keywords:

Alt-right, Gaming Culture, Masculinities, Video Games, GamerGate

Abstract

During the last decade, events such as GamerGate and debates around gender inequality in video games have highlighted affinities between alt-right discourses and some sectors of the gaming community. This article contributes to the literature with a systematic narrative review of alt-right and gaming culture, focusing on masculinities and their discourses in the video game industry. We conducted bibliographic searches in Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar using terms in English and Spanish, such as “video games”, “alt-right”, and “masculinities”. We conducted two screening rounds by applying PRIMA and using Rayyan software, reducing the initial sample (n = 274) to 33 articles and book chapters. The review highlights the importance of linking Game Studies with the issues of masculinities and the alt-right. We advocate for a comprehensive model integrating Game Studies with the analysis of extremist forces, emphasizing the interconnectedness of various issues such as video games as political objects, historical and cultural media formation, and geek masculinity. Key recommendations include establishing a common framework, enhancing scholar-industry collaboration, and promoting solution-oriented research to address the influence of the alt-right in gaming communities.

Author Biographies

  • Pablo Romero-Medina, Ph.D candidate, Department of Political Science and Administration, Universidad de Granada (University of Granada), Granada, Spain

    Pablo Romero-Medina is a PhD student from the University of Granada. He is doing a thesis about the alt-right and gaming. He is also a substitute professor at the University of Salamanca. His main research interests are Games Studies, political theory, alt-right, and Artificial Intelligence.

  • Júlia Vilasís-Pamos, Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Pedagogy and Educational Psychology, Universitat de les Illes Balears (University of the Balearic Islands), Palma, Spain

    Júlia Vilasís-Pamos holds a PhD in Communication from UPF with cum laude and international mention (Temple University, USA). Her thesis has been awarded a special mention in the Audiovisual Council of Catalonia Awards (CAC) and a runner-up prize for the Best Doctoral Thesis written in Catalan (UPF). Her main research interests are Game Studies, social class, gender, and adolescents. She has published in indexed journals such as Information, Communication & Society, Convergence, and International Journal of Communication and, she has actively participated in more than ten competitive research projects during the last six years.

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2024-10-25

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