The qualitative research project (2024–2028) Beyond hegemony: Rethinking men and masculinities in game culture examines how men experience, negotiate, and subvert normative expectations of masculinity and express agency as they participate in game cultures. The project focuses on the intersections of masculinity and game cultures in the context of both digital and non-digital gaming, with emphasis on men's agency and reflexivity. The project is situated in the fields of game studies and gender studies. Applying Sedgwick's concept of reparative reading, the project contests the pessimistic paradigm in game studies work on men and masculinities. Through qualitative questionnaire responses and interviews, the study increases our understanding of the complex connections of masculinities and gaming. The approach places men at the centre of game culture equity work and shifts this labour away from groups discriminated against.

2024

2028