An interesting study was released this past summer revealing that males that harass females in on-line video games typically perform worse than their female competitors. Males were also found to be increasingly cordial toward females based on how much better the male was doing. The author of the study wrote that “a way to counter [female-directed hostility] may be through teaching young males that losing to the opposite sex is not socially debilitating.”
This finding says a lot about the fragile sense of self that is created when identities are constructed based on power relations. The results support my general argument that it is the social environment and perceived status in video games that influence hostile behavior rather than the game itself. And, from an academic standpoint, it is nice to see a study that focuses on the relations between players instead of the content in the games.
Wade McIntyre
http://www.cbc.ca/news/trending/men-who-harass-women-are-losers-video-game-study-says-1.3162310