Competitive Gaming Culture and Symbolic Form

With the advent of digital technology, the video game format have emerged as a new mainstay media, engaging players by connecting them in a wide variety of ways - for instance, as an arena of competition. E-sports, or organized video game competitions, have invited players to challenge each other in a test of skill since the advent of LAN (local area networks), and have recently seen a boom in popularity thanks to the increased accessibility of streaming media.

Of course, this is just a new development of a much older cultural phenomenon, and can be traced back to the rise of arcades in America and Japan in the 1980s. Oftentimes, settling a dispute came down to a test of skill, and it also functioned as a form of bonding between friends. As this culture was largely male-oriented, these matches can be interpreted as assertions of social dominance as a substitute for, and perhaps even sublimation of, physical violence. Sadly, this aspect of virtual competition has carried on into the internet age in the more vitriolic form of anonymous verbal harassment and intimidation.

In recent years, the field of e-gaming has opened up to reveal higher levels of racial and gender diversity (though representation is slim overall), expanding its scope beyond a small niche audience. In this respect, the symbolism of online matches can be seen in a more egalitarian light, providing a path for the individual to prove their undeniable worth regardless of background. In the abstract format of the video game, identity is irrelevant; the character or avatar maintains distance from the player's reality, and demonstrations of skill are the sole means by which social currency can be earned. The battle for victory within the rules of the game is reflective of success in the player's reality; in a larger framework, the competition is symbolic of individual validation and cultural solidarity.