ABSTRACT

Online sexism against female gamers is reportedly common and pervasive, causing serious problems. To help solve these problems, the study identified various predictors of online game sexism, which is hypothesised to predict actual in-game harassment. Different from previous studies, the study approaches the problems from the perspective of perpetrators rather than victims. We proposed a theoretical model that include three groups of predictors: offline sexist beliefs (masculine norms and hostile sexism), game-related factors (perceived territoriality, advancement, and competition), and environmental factors (peer harassment and play time). The model was tested against online survey data collected from a sample of 528 male gamers in South Korea with age range of 14–64 years (M = 34.70, SD = 12.81). The results showed that all the predictors, except competition and play time, were significantly associated with online game sexism, which mediated the relationships between the predictors and online sexual harassment. Perceived territoriality and peer harassment were found to have direct and positive effects on harassment. The findings are expected to contribute to developing more effective measures for preventing the hostility and aggression against female gamers by providing a new and more thorough diagnosis of the underlying causes of the problems.

摘要

据报道，针对女性游戏玩家的在线性别歧视现象普遍且普遍，造成了严重的问题。为了帮助解决这些问题，该研究确定了网络游戏性别歧视的各种预测因素，假设这些预测因素可以预测实际的游戏内骚扰。与以往的研究不同，本研究从加害者而非受害者的角度来看待问题。我们提出了一个理论模型，其中包括三组预测因素：离线性别歧视信念（男性规范和敌对性别歧视）、游戏相关因素（感知领土、进步和竞争）和环境因素（同伴骚扰和游戏时间）。该模型针对从韩国 528 名年龄范围为 14-64 岁的男性游戏玩家样本中收集的在线调查数据进行了测试（M  = 34.70，SD = 12.81)。结果表明，除竞争和游戏时间外，所有预测因素都与网络游戏性别歧视显着相关，这在预测因素与网络性骚扰之间的关系中起到了中介作用。发现感知的地域性和同伴骚扰对骚扰具有直接和积极的影响。通过对问题的根本原因提供新的和更彻底的诊断，这些发现有望有助于制定更有效的措施，以防止对女性游戏玩家的敌意和侵略。