Exploring Gender Stereotypes among Filipina Gamers of Mobile Legends: A Phenomenological Study

In the present time, not only men but also women feel a lot of pressure to have skills and strengths that would fit into society's standards in the online gaming world. This study aims to investigate how Filipina gamers experience gender stereotyping and how they cope with the negative stereotypes they have encountered while playing Mobile Legends (ML). The study consisted of sixteen (16) Filipina participants coming from different places in the Philippines. A qualitative method was used through a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to better understand the common gender stereotypes experienced by Filipina ML players and their ways of coping. Based on the findings, the Filipina gamers of ML are being stereotyped as weak and incompetent because of their gender identity. They are also being underestimated and discriminated against as they are exploited as support hero characters, and lesbianism is being attributed to them due to their presence in the male-dominated game community. In terms of coping mechanisms, Filipina ML players tend to ignore these negative comments, dedication, and enthusiasm to play well, and their time of playing is limited. Future studies may consider the experiences of female players in other online gaming platforms and game categories to achieve varied results.