The Manchester Metropolitan Game Centre and the Contemporary Intimacies, Sexualities and Genders (CISG) research group are pleased to welcome Dr. Mikko Meriläinen who will share his work on masculinity and game cultures. The session will be chaired by Dr. Christian Klesse. The event is free of charge and will take place online.
Research into men and masculinities in gaming cultures tends to follow a pessimistic paradigm: masculinities are often considered from a perspective of risk, and game culture power structures and gender hierarchies appear unalterable. However, this approach can also strip men of agency and rule out the possibility of change. In this talk, Dr. Mikko Meriläinen presents an alternative perspective to men and masculinities in gaming, grounded in agency, reflexivity, and potential for better futures.
Dr. Mikko Meriläinen is a postdoctoral researcher in Tampere University, Finland, working in the Centre of Excellence in game culture studies. In his work, Meriläinen focuses on qualitative research on game cultures in and as everyday life, masculinities in game cultures, and young people’s game culture participation.
Dr. Christian Klesse is Reader in the Department of Sociology at Manchester Metropolitan University, and a founding member of the Contemporary Intimacies, Sexualities and Genders (CISG) research group. His research interests fall in the areas of sexuality, gender, race/ethnicity, social movement politics, power, social identities, body modification, research methodology, and social theory.