Why do Gamers Gatekeep?
You don’t have to prove to anyone that you enjoy something.
Max, who has been a longtime prominent figure in providing expert gaming analysis, commentary and instruction contemplates in this video the value of ‘hyperfans’ who will radically defend their opinions and are usually quick to the pitchforks and torches when it comes to newcomers in any given fandom.
Hold the door.
Why do we gatekeep anyway?
There does seem to be something natural, about wanting to keep what you hold sacred in high regard. The small pit in your stomach when you hear a name pronounced wrong, or the sinking feeling you get when someone doesn’t have a favorite scene, or character. Tribalism, alone, as an answer I think only answers a portion of why.
I think it would have to do with identity.
Given that these games are large parts of people’s lives, I can only assume that the game has also been a large part of the formative experiences with the ‘hyperfans’. I can name two such pieces of media that have their themes burned into my psyche which are the Wachowski sister’s The Matrix, and BioWare’s Mass Effect trilogy. So much that I legitimately at least once per day, think of something that reminds me of them — whether it’s the mind warping philosophies or the fact that they have become the bar for every other piece of media I consume — they are there, they are dormant, and they are forever a piece of who I am.
Them: I loved Lion King as a kid!
You: I’ve never seen Lion King.
Them: *largeuncontrollableunconciousinhale* YOU HAVE TO SEE IT RIGHT NOW!!!
Has anything like this ever happened to you?
There is a similarity to the self-competency bias, where people tend to rate themselves higher than average in certain tasks — even if they are average or even below average. The phenom is speculated to come from the knowledge gap of not being able to imagine what is out of their reach, whilst also not being aware of the contributions or prior knowledge of others in any given skill. Explained simply, using this logic, people think they are good at something when they have a lack of information to suggest otherwise.
How is this relevant to gatekeeping?
With the supposition that the prior statement is any part true, I believe that if a person has had an identity forming experience and does not know what it’s like to live without said experience, that person would perceive the lack of said experience as an attack. So, if someone does not share the ‘hyperfan’s’ exact experiences — they feel attacked and immediately feel as though their entire identity is at stake if someone does something as innocuous as not seeing/playing/doing exactly what the other has done. In other words, if you are gatekeeping it is quite literally a you problem and not a them problem. Gatekeepers are insecure in their own identities, because if one’s identity can be challenged and fractured by the very small act of something not living your experiences, you have some self-reaffirming work to do.
“…People grow obsessions with this stuff, sometimes healthy obsessions and sometimes unhealthy obsessions…” — Max
I would say in the cases of the ‘hyperfans’ their entire being is shaped and defined by the thing they center their fandom towards. When the object of obsession is invalidated, in a way so is the hyperfan. I think this type of negative hyperfandom can make its way into any industry, activity or culture. It’s comparable to when women asked to have careers in workplaces, and it’s happened when minorities asked for representation in media. And no, I’m not saying gatekeeping = white privilege. What I am saying is that there are psychological explanations for why in-groups tend to try at keep the out-group well…out. I’m also saying that in doing so, that can’t be what we want as gamers, or even as a society. There is also a possessive aspect to this, as people tend to think of the memories they had as uniquely for them, and any counter to that somehow makes those memories less important. Why not just hold the door regardless of where people come from or what they’ve experienced. Maybe it’s just my curious nature, but I love the differences in how people will enjoy the things I’ve enjoyed. It leads to us sharing our experiences and differences, and what offers new perspectives and opportunities for growth.
So, next time you feel a little ‘cringe’ if someone isn’t the same rank as you or doesn’t know an obscure detail — you can feel secure in yourself to know that the relationship that person has with your precious little thing, in fact, has no bearing on your own relationship with it.
Celebrate the differences, it’s what makes life interesting.