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Tools of the Game: The Gendered Discourses of Peripheral Advertising

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Masculinities in Play

Part of the book series: Palgrave Games in Context ((PAGCON))

Abstract

In this chapter, we take as a case study the web advertising for Razer with a focus on how the company’s keyboards and keypads, mice, and controllers are promoted to consumers on its website. Using ideological discourse analysis, we identify how ideologies related to identity are structured into and articulated through the text and images of Razer peripheral advertising. We argue that, while some language and imagery on the site point to an effort to be more inclusive, its overall ideological tone suggests a reification of the white male gamer identity through its discursive construction of a particular model of masculinity grounded in combat/war, mastery over the game, and the gaining of unfair advantages. Based on our analysis, we suggest that Razer’s peripherals are articulating a larger struggle in the industry between a historic connection of gaming with young, white males and an emerging recognition of the diversity of those who play video games.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Our analysis is based on website content that we viewed between October 2015 and February 2016.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Sam Srauy & Valerie Palmer-Mehta

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  1. Sam Srauy
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  2. Valerie Palmer-Mehta
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Communication, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA

    Nicholas Taylor

  2. Department of Communication Arts, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Gerald Voorhees

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Srauy, S., Palmer-Mehta, V. (2018). Tools of the Game: The Gendered Discourses of Peripheral Advertising. In: Taylor, N., Voorhees, G. (eds) Masculinities in Play. Palgrave Games in Context. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90581-5_11

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