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

Description

New media critic and longtime gamer Christopher A. Paul explains how video games' focus on meritocracy empowers a negative culture-from the deep-bred misogyny to the endemic malice of abusive player communities. He suggests ways to ultimately foster a more diverse, accepting, and self-reflective culture that is not only good for gamers but for good for video games as well.

Christopher A. Paul is associate professor in the communication department at Seattle University. He is author of Wordplay and the Discourse of Video Games: Analyzing Words, Design, and Play.

"Christopher A. Paul is an incisive critic, and The Toxic Meritocracy of Video Games is essential reading for researchers, industry professionals, and players trying to make sense of gaming's culture wars."-Carly A. Kocurek, author of Coin-Operated Americans: Rebooting Boyhood at the Video Game Arcade "Paul offers a compelling and carefully supported argument to deconstruct and reconsider meritocracy in video game culture. An engaging read."-CHOICE "This is a carefully considered book that shines a much-needed light on the toxicity of video game culture and presents some earnest suggestions for how to reform it and the games that inspire it." -First Person Scholar