Sociable desires and gendered commitments: Video gaming and food in everyday life

Abstract

Food consumption in video gaming culture has been linked to convenience, nutritionally poor food, and unconventional eating norms. However, little attention has been given to video gaming and food interactions in mundane settings. This article explores how video gaming and food practices compete for time and attention in everyday life. We use theories of practice approach and data from a qualitative study on young Danish adults who frequently play video games. The findings suggest the competition between video gaming and food is decided by the practice that best realizes the desire to be sociable and gendered commitments to healthiness and housekeeping. We discuss the sociable appeal of video gaming over extensive performances of cooking and eating in relation to the individualization of daily social encounters and interrogate the conventional perceptions of food in video gaming culture in the context of inattention to gender differentiation.