"HAR NI ÄNDRAT SENSITIVITY?”. SVT:s gestaltningar av gaming ur ett subkulturellt perspektiv

Abstract

Our study is a qualitative textual analysis of how Sveriges Television (SVT) portrays digital gaming—something we refer to as just "gaming" in our research—from a subcultural perspective. We contend that there is an underestimation of gaming as a cultural sphere, and that the media contributes to this underestimation. Today, the gaming industry is the world's largest entertainment industry, yet the prevailing image often reduces digital gaming to mere amusement. We argue that it is rather the fastestgrowing cultural site, along with social media, and overlooking its risks and potential is an oversight. Following an initial problem formulation, we explore how prior research has approached the phenomenon of gaming and provide an account of the academic status of subcultural research. Here, we observe a shift in perceptions towards gaming, with it becoming increasingly socially accepted. However, certain stereotypes remain strong, and few efforts are made to dismantle them. We also note a division within the academic community regarding subcultures; the dominant position of the Birmingham School was challenged in the 1990s, and today several diverse perspectives offer significant insights. We have chosen to broadly embrace the idea of subcultures because we believe that a narrower approach might overlook certain interesting aspects. In our study, we have chosen to focus solely on fictional TV series, thus excluding lifestyle programs, documentaries, or similar formats. This decision was partly a method to limit our scope and partly because there is scant previous research examining gaming within fiction. The cornerstone of our analysis is a schema based on five concepts from subcultural theory: style, marginalization, resistance, identity, and values. Alongside a more descriptive part of the schema, we believe this provides a sufficient empirical foundation to address our two questions: • How does SVT portray gaming and gamers? • What does SVTs portrayals say about gaming as a subculture? We reviewed 59 TV series on SVT Play—chosen based on availability and as a suitable gauge of the current situation—and focused solely on series produced in the 2010s and 2020s. In total, we identified 19 series where some form of gaming was portrayed, which forms the empirical basis of our analysis. Our results are presented in four themes: a media marginalization of adult gamers, distinctions between hardcore and casual gamers, gaming as resistance, and identity—what constitutes a gamer on SVT? The investigation reveals a media depiction of hardcore gamers as a more classic subculture, characterized by style indicators such as gaming headphones, but primarily linked to engagement and language use. The study also illustrates that when adults are depicted as gamers, it is often associated with a problem, minor or major. We further suggest that hardcore gamers are frequently shown in conflict, or contrast, with something else, thereby engaging in a form of passive resistance.