Virtual identities and women’s empowerment: the implication of the rise of female esports fans in China

Abstract

Esports has attracted many online fans due to the unique advantages of online competition. The number of female esports fans is increasing rapidly accordingly. Under the guidance of cyberfeminism, this study examines the current situation of Chinese female esports fans. It discusses their virtual identities in cyberspace and its potential for enhancing female fans’ self-empowerment with ethnographic data. The findings demonstrate numerous types of female esports fans based on their roles in the Chinese esports fans community, which suggests a shift in the status of female fans as objects of the gaze. It implies that how female esports fans interact with online communities is crucial to forming their virtual identities and shows that they can use virtual identities to resist discrimination, assert their voice, and shape their style.