Conquering Gender Stereotype Threat in “Digit Sports”: Effects of Gender Swapping on Female Players’ Continuous Participation Intention in ESports

Abstract

<jats:p>As a sportification form of human-computer interaction, eSports is facing great gender stereotype threat and causing female players’ withdraw. This study aims to investigate the relationship between gender-swapping and females’ continuous participation intention in eSports, the mediating effect of self-efficacy, and the moderating effect of discrimination. The results demonstrate (1) that the effect of gender-swapping on continuous participation intention in eSports was not significant, while gender-swapping had a significant association with self-efficacy, and self-efficacy had a significant association with continuous participation intention in eSports; (2) that gender-swapping had an indirect effect (via self-efficacy) on continuous participation intention in eSports; and (3) that discrimination moderated the effect of self-efficacy on continuous participation intention. Female players who had experienced discrimination displayed higher continuous participation intention in the context of self-efficacy enhanced by gender-swapping.</jats:p>

Using panopticism to theorize the social role of the body in competitive gaming and electronic sport

“…This results in a different perception of the body's social traits as a point of reference for social interaction, communication, and identification. It is unclear how far these roles can be picked up by corporeality in the digital realms: On the one hand, players identify with their in-game characters (Hao et al, 2020; Hussain et al, 2021; Riatti and Thiel, 2023), on the other hand, it is unclear whether the players can be exposed to disciplinary mechanisms via their digital avatars. Eventually, more research is needed to understand how far social traits of the physical body are embodied by digital corporeality.…”

“…On a structural level, the dysoptical state is comparable to informal sports like skateboarding or surfing, which can be considered counterparts to the existing hierarchical sports structures (Reinhart, 2014;Reinhart and Krüger, 2007). Competitive gaming can therefore be used as a practice for personal self-expression without having to match hierarchical or normative standards (Hao et al, 2020;Hussain et al, 2021). It can be stated that the physicality, movement practice, and body functional techniques in esport or competitive gaming are in line with theories about the differentiation of sport (Heinemann, 2007;Thiel et al, 2013).…”

“…Players can compete with and against each other regardless of genetic or personal dispositions. Anyone who might not fit into existing sport structures can find self-expression in competitive gaming and esport (Hao et al, 2020; Hussain et al, 2021; Trepte et al, 2012). With this background, the question arises about how the characteristics of the gaming dysopticon can be perceived by stakeholders from the esport environment, like players, teams, publishers, or politics.…”

The impact of Sports Social Support, Sports Behavior, and Impulsive Personality on Academic Adaptation in Adolescents

“…Academic adaptation problems are academic problems caused by non-intellectual factors, often combined with emotional distress and behavioral problems, including cheating in exams, inattention in class, incomplete homework, unstable academic performance, inability to concentrate, resistance to school and other attitudes, motivations and habits that hinder effective learning (Xie et al, 2022;. In order to pursue achievement, teachers and parents often increase children's learning courses in addition to regular classroom learning, reduce the time and extent of children's sports participation, and even form the stereotype that "children who exercise are often poor in homework, poor class students and behavioral deviation" (Hao et al, 2020). In the long run, it will also encourage students to internalize the value of pursuing academic achievement (Hendriks et al, 2011).…”

Why Do Women Pretend to Be Men? Female Gender Swapping in Online Games

“…Around 390 million female gamers were reported in China as of February 2020 which accounts for 45.6% of the overall gamers in China ( Thomala, 2021 ). However, players who reveal themselves as females in online games are known to be vulnerable as they are often mistreated by other players (male players) ( Cote, 2017 ; McLean and Griffiths, 2019 ; Tang et al, 2019 ; Hao et al, 2020 ). These experiences may lead to female gamers’ choosing male avatars in online games, a practice known as gender swapping.…”