Professor Kristine Jørgensen
Part of the problem, or part of the solution? On why game studies need masculinity studies now
Abstract: This keynote examines the treatment of masculinity in game studies, spotlighting how gaming men experience and navigate gendered expectations. Traditionally a male-dominated, hypermasculine arena, videogame culture has largely marginalized women, prompting research to focus on women’s experiences with exclusion and harassment. However, this approach has often overlooked men’s own gendered experiences, treating them as a “genderless” demographic and failing to explore what it means to be both a man and a gamer.
The keynote will critique terms like “hegemonic masculinity” and “toxic masculinity” in gaming, suggesting these concepts don’t fully capture the complex ways men express and negotiate multiple masculinities within gaming culture. Drawing on Raewynn Connell’s (2005) theories, the speaker encourages a nuanced understanding of “gamer masculinities” and advocates for addressing problematic gendered practices by including men in the conversation around solutions.
Bio: Kristine Jørgensen is professor of media studies and a PI in the Center for Digital Narrative at University of Bergen. She is interested in player-centered perspectives and has studied player experiences with transgressive game content, player interaction with game interfaces, and player experiences of sound in games. She also has an interest in production and industry studies and has in that context researched the Norwegian game industry. She is the author of The Paradox of Transgression in Games (with Torill Elvira Mortensen), Gameworld Interfaces and A Comprehensive Study of Sound in Computer Games: How Audio Affects Player Action, and the co-editor of Transgression in Games and Play (with Faltin Karlsen). She is currently leading the research project Understanding Masculinity in Gaming (2023-2028).