Playing forever: exploring the world of older women video game streamers
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Abstract
This article examines the streaming practices of older women, a new phenomenon that challenges stereotypes about what it means to be a gamer. It analyzes, from an epistemological justice perspective, how these women defy gender and age stereotypes on platforms like Twitch. Using the channel of the Uruguayan streamer Aqumadre as a case study, the discourses of her audience are reviewed, and the player’s narrative is explored. The results show that Aqumadre has fostered a community based on affection and cooperation, questioning the predominant logic in online video game streaming. The study helps redefine the categories of gamers and highlights new intergenerational dynamics in digital culture. It confronts the categories of gamer and older adult woman, highlighting new intergenerational dynamics in video game streaming and making visible emerging figures and practices that move away from the conventional, while at the same time providing tools to understand the transformation of identities in digital culture.
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