Geek Nostalgia and Male Victimhood in Incel Discussions

Gaming is a common “cope”, coping mechanism, for incels, but has received limited study. In this study, we examine the digital nostalgia, or technostalgia, visible in incel online discussions on the incels.is forum, with a focus on gaming culture. Our theoretical approach draws from extremism research, game studies, and critical studies of men and masculinities. Using discourse analysis, we unpack how everyday nostalgia for past games, gaming culture, and the early internet is interwoven with notions of masculinity and used to support and justify misogynist ideology and enemy construction. We present how broader anti-feminist and anti-diversity gaming culture narratives are visible in incel discussions, and how these narratives are adjusted and negotiated to fit incel culture specific forms. Echoing broader antagonistic societal narratives, there is a strong sentiment of perceived loss, as sexism and other discrimination is increasingly contested in online spaces historically, and often currently, dominated by men. We demonstrate the similarities between hostile and misogynist gaming culture discourses and incel discussions, and the role of geek nostalgia in incel constructions of male victimhood. Our results underline the importance of gaming in understanding incels’ lifeworlds and, more broadly, the need to interrogate the spread and adaptation of antagonistic narratives across extremist and non-extremist communities.