Listen to our commentary for partnering on this annotated bibliography assignment.

Annotated Bibliography

Gray, K. L. (2018). Gaming out online: Black lesbian identity development and community building in xbox live. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 22(3), 282-296. doi:10.1080/10894160.2018.1384293.

The focus of this topic is to help determine how identities are formed and communities are made anonymously by Black women who identify as lesbians on the platform of Xbox live. Black women who identify as lesbians can feel scrutinized and exposed while not only gaming, but within their real-life community. This study used both ethnography and narrative analysis. Ethnographic research is a qualitative method where researchers observe and/or interact with a study’s participants in their real-life environment. Narrative analysis is useful to uncover the underlying ideas and ideals in stories. The observation was the main method used for collecting data, semi-structured interviews were secondary. The semi-structured interviews were used to expand conversations and build a narrative.

We feel the research methods selected were the most appropriate choice for this study as ethnography allowed the researcher to observe participants not only in Xbox live but in their physical spaces and narrative analysis allowed the researcher to dive deeper into a participant’s lived realities along with their histories. Gray names three organizing themes for discussing her data; the continuous role of anonymity, isolation and the utility of digital connectivity, and transgressive play. Some gaming consoles require you to be on video to play, you cannot be another gender. Other gaming consoles are linked to social media so anonymity is removed and women who are not out in real life feel they cannot explore their identity in the virtual space. A black lesbian online will tend to try to find more of an anonymous space as this provides them an equal landscape, a place for them to be who they are. They have the right to be anonymous. Race, gender and sexuality should not play a part in gaming, but it can. Everyone should be able to feel comfortable in their own skin and just enjoy gaming. These women felt as if everyone on screen was judging them and they couldn’t simply be themselves. Xbox live provides an equal landscape for everyone, a place to be who you are, and you can use your play to resist the patriarchy. The women from this article are from smaller centers and do not have access to physical services and support, they find online gaming environments to be even more beneficial than their bigger city center counterparts. We selected this piece of work because we had never thought of online gaming as a space where people could be their authentic selves and find solace in the form of a digital private social community. These women are comfortable in a space where they can be themselves, they are not hiding behind a screen rather the screen allows them to come to life.

We believe this material is a valuable material for ETEC 565G. It makes people think of the different places communities are formed. We also feel that it shows hands-on practice to apply the different frameworks in this course. We offer some examples below of what we mean by this.

Chimamanda Adichie’s TED talk “The dangers of a single story” came to our minds when we discussed the statement “[w]hile similar to the White lesbian community in many ways, there are some key distinctions in the Black lesbian community” (Gray, 2018, p. 284) Neither of us are black and Daniel does not identify as a girl, additionally, neither of us are lesbians. Placing stereotypes on people can lead to prejudice, this article is a good example of why we should keep an open mind and understand that our story is not the only story.

The discussion, “Black cyberfeminism, specifically, concerns itself with three major themes: (1) social structural oppression of technology and virtual spaces; (2) intersecting oppressions experienced in virtual spaces; and (3) the distinctness of the virtual feminist community. Women of color have co-opted traditional digital spaces for their own means to communicate and empower their communities.” (Gray, 2018, p. 285) When looking at the onion model, we peel back the layers to reveal the three themes. The main body signifying the core is the cultural traditions that are expressed without fear of retaliation. These women are in a state of complacency, Xbox live has provided them a virtual space where they feel empowered to be themselves.

This article could also be used to provide functional practice when applying the iceberg model, there is a lot to unpack when reading the narratives.The narrative below demonstrates how much unpacking is required to get to the bottom of the iceberg and how collisions happen below the surface.

“I see it like an actual place. With actual people. And we are really connected. They are more than just gamers on a list. They are the people who know me the best… I can’t say these kinds of things to anybody in my family. And really not to any of my friends. They have no idea I like girls. I get to hide that. (Tracy, Fem, 22)” (Gray, 2018, p. 288)

We were surprised to find people were finding communities through online gaming, though once we read the article, we understood and agreed with the conclusions. People will seek out a sense of community where they can when they are feeling self-isolated.