The topic of investigation in this research paper is a video game called Dota 2. In basic terms, Dota 2 is one of the most popular video games worldwide with 7.6 million regular players monthly (Clement, 2021). The main peculiarity of this game is the opportunity to extensively communicate with teammates through voice and text chat. Therefore, it is easy for every player to identify the gender of someone who speaks throughout the game. The research question of this research is “what are the differences in the perception of men and women by the Dota 2 community in the US?”.
In the scholarship, there was a tendency to analyze the other side of the problem – the sexism and gender biases of some video games. For example, Gestos et al. (2018) came to the conclusion that the representation of women in video games results in female self-objectification and negative body image. In my research, the focus is changed from ‘supply-side’ to ‘demand-side’. The paper’s central hypothesis can be that the male community will be more loyal to the female users and their playstyle or use sexist vocabulary against them. It fits the theoretical framework of Paul (2018), who believes that the gaming community is overwhelmingly toxic and not inclusive.
As for the methods, the most applicable methods are interviews, observation, and experiment. I can conduct several informal interviews with female gamers about their experience of playing Dota 2. I can also explore Dota 2 community and formulate the general picture of its features. Finally, social media and forums are full of women’s stories concerning their time spent on gaming in Dota 2. All in all, the methods can be combined to make the research more diverse.
References
Clement, J. (2021). DOTA 2 peak concurrent player number on Steam 2016-2021. Statista. Web.
Gestos, M., Smith-Merry, J., & Campbell, A. (2018). Representation of women in video games: a systematic review of literature in consideration of adult female wellbeing.Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social networking, 21(9), 535-541. Web.
Paul, C. A. (2018). The toxic meritocracy of video games: Why gaming culture is the worst. Minnesota Press.