Toxic Meritocracy of Video Games: Why Gaming Culture Is the Worst

The Toxic Meritocracy of Video Games explains how video games focus on meritocracy, which empowers negative culture. It identifies challenges in the culture but suggests remedies from other meritocratic institutions to foster a more diverse, accepting, and self-reflective culture.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 20 February 2018
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press

Video games have brought immense entertainment, education, and innovation to millions worldwide. However, the gaming community also faces significant challenges, including deep-rooted misogyny, abusive player communities, and real-world repercussions such as death threats and sexist industry practices. In his book "The Toxic Meritocracy of Video Games," new media critic and longstanding gamer Christopher A. Paul delves into how video games promote a toxic meritocracy that contributes to these negative aspects of the culture.

Paul begins by examining why meritocracy is so integral to video-game design, narratives, and values. Games often emphasize skill and technique, and common practices like leveling reinforce meritocratic thinking in the most fundamental aspects of gameplay. While video games are often portrayed as having an even playing field, they facilitate the transfer of skills from one game to another, giving certain players a built-in advantage.

The book identifies deep-seated challenges within the culture of video games, but it also offers hope for change. Paul argues that meritocratic institutions like professional sports and higher education have implemented effective remedies to address their toxic cultures, such as active recruiting and strategies that promote values like contingency, luck, and serendipity. These approaches can be applied to the gaming universe to foster a more diverse, accepting, and self-reflective culture that benefits both gamers and the industry as a whole.

By examining the toxic meritocracy in video games and exploring potential solutions, "The Toxic Meritocracy of Video Games" provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics of the gaming community and offers a roadmap for positive change. It is a must-read for gamers, industry professionals, and anyone interested in understanding the impact of video games on society.

Weight: 276g
Dimension: 141 x 214 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781517900410