An Examination of the Effects of Source Gender on Perceived Credibility of Esports Shoutcasters

Abstract

Esports broadcasters, known as shoutcasters, are an important part of the professional gaming industry. The credibility of these shoutcasters is an area that is understudied, yet critical from a production, consumption, and administrative standpoint. There are few women in this role, and research has shown women who work in the gaming industry may face hostility and toxic masculinity. Audience views of casters have not been empirically tested. Following the source credibility theory, the purpose of this study was to explore gamers’ perceptions of trustworthiness and expertise of male and female shoutcasters in the professional gaming industry. A quasi-experimental design was employed in which gamers (N = 239) were recruited and randomly assigned to one of two groups. Each group watched a video of a League of Legends match and evaluated the casters, either (a) two males or (b) one male and one female. Participants did not perceive differences in casters’ expertise levels but did have a small significant difference with the female caster being perceived as more trustworthy than the male. While controlling for gamer identification and involvement, there were no significant differences in a female/male pairing’s expertise and trustworthiness in comparison to the all-male pairing. Discussion centers on the findings with consideration that esports are often a noninclusive space.