Gamer Identity and Social Class: An Analysis of Barcelona Teenagers’ Discourses on Videogame Culture and Gaming Practices

Abstract

This article examines the role played by social class in the construction of gamer identity among teenagers. Studying gamer identity from the perspective of social class is relevant because it is underexplored in academic research while successive global crises are generating large social inequalities, with young people as one of the groups most affected. Methodologically, this research is based on two qualitative questionnaires and four focus groups with 24 in-school teenagers aged 14 and 15 from Barcelona, Spain. The findings show that social class is important for understanding videoludic practices and the medium’s role in teenagers’ socialization processes. Thus, sociocultural background affects the perception and construction of the gamer identity as well as the aspirations that teenagers may have in relation to video games as a possible path for their professional future.