Chapter 3 - Deviant Acts: Racism and Sexism in Virtual Gaming Communities

Abstract

This chapter discusses the deviant acts of racism and sexism and the process that leads to these acts in virtual gaming communities. In the broad sense, deviance is a term that refers to behavior that does not conform to socially accepted norms established by rules. Deviance exists because social groups react in a condemnatory, punitive, or simply disapproving manner to any individual’s behavior(s) and/or characteristic(s) that are in violation of the social standards prevailing in those groups (Clinard & Meier, 1998, p. 7). Deviance within virtual communities has been documented by scholars for years. For instance, Richard Bartle was one of the earliest scholars to provide a systematic overview of the killer, a type of user within a multiuser domain. The killer derives enjoyment by imposing him/herself on others by player killing. As Bartle (1996) found, the more distress killers cause, the greater the killer’s joy. This text will go a step further in explaining the role of identity in negative player interactions. Much of this can be attributed to profiling within the space.