{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,1]],"date-time":"2026-05-01T14:32:45Z","timestamp":1777645965502,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,5]],"date-time":"2021-12-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1638662400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Games and Culture"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>This paper scrutinizes the feminization of backseat gaming by examining the successful YouTube gaming reviews channel, Girlfriend Reviews. As video games are considered a male-dominated hobby, this channel, which provides the perspective of a male gamer\u2019s girlfriend offers a compelling case study to explore the ways in which women can access the gaming community. Through analyzing the opinions and sentiments expressed in the comment sections, we explore how viewers engage with the channel and why they support or condone it. We argue that viewers gravitate toward the channel for three significant reasons: the girlfriend being (1) a supportive backseat gamer, (2) who holds no prior knowledge on gaming, and (3) does not engage with feminist discourse. We argue that the position of \u201cthe girlfriend\u201d\/\u201cbackseat gamer\u201d provides women an alternative pathway into the gaming community. However, moments of pushback demonstrate the fragility of women\u2019s position in such presumed male-dominated communities.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/15554120211056124","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,5]],"date-time":"2021-12-05T04:08:29Z","timestamp":1638677309000},"page":"795-815","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Exploring the Feminization of Backseat Gaming Through\n                    <i>Girlfriend Reviews<\/i>\n                    YouTube Channel"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3764-7284","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Neta","family":"Yodovich","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1461-3727","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jinju","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,5]]},"reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"bibr1-15554120211056124","first-page":"1","volume":"2","author":"Aronson J.","year":"1995","journal-title":"The Qualitative Report"},{"issue":"1","key":"bibr2-15554120211056124","first-page":"46","volume":"3","author":"Assun\u00e7\u00e3o C.","year":"2016","journal-title":"Press Start"},{"key":"bibr3-15554120211056124","volume-title":"Transforming qualitative information: Thematic analysis and code development","author":"Boyatzis R. 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