Analyzing gender capital in Grand Theft Auto social media conversations

Abstract

This research looks at the role of gender capital in sensitive topics in game studies. Grand Theft Auto is a game that has been linked to negative portrayals of women and glorification of violence. With the potential release of Grand Theft Auto 6, a rumor was leaked concerning the possibility of a woman as the main playable character. We examine posts on a tweet discussing the potential of the lead character in Grand Theft Auto 6 being a woman ( n=182). We note three ways how masculine gender capital is employed to manipulate masculinity via discourse. When used by men, linguistic gender capital is used to either affirm support or to lament the possibility. For women, masculine gender capital is used to diminish the masculinity of those men who have a problem with the potential of a woman as the lead character. Even those who support the idea utilize homophobic and belittling language to dismiss and ridicule others, weaponizing masculinity. In short, even attacks on a “toxic” masculinity are themselves harmful, demonstrating how the damaging utilization of masculine gender capital – from whatever source – is the crux of the problem.