Identitas Virtual Perempuan Pemain Game Online Mobile Legends (Studi Kualitatif di Kota Medan)

Abstract

This research is entitled "Virtual Identity of Female Mobile Legends Online Game Players (Qualitative Study in Medan City)". The purpose of this research is to find out the virtual identity of female Mobile Legends online game players in Medan City and the reasons for the formation of the virtual identity of female Mobile Legends online game players in Medan City derived from self-presentation theory and put forward by Goffman. The theories and concepts in this research are women, virtual identity, self-presentation theory, online games and Mobile Legends. This research uses a qualitative approach with descriptive research methods. The data collection techniques used are interviews, observation/observation and documentation. The number of informants in this study were seven people who were determined based on purposive sampling. Informants are women who play Mobile Legends online games and live in Medan City which were selected based on purposive and accidental. There are 3 categories of virtual identity formation proposed by Castell (in Afala, 2018), namely legitimizing identity, resistance identity and project identity. There are 8 reasons for virtual identity formation proposed by Goffman, namely ingratiation, intimidation, self-promotion, exemplification, supplification, self handicaping, aligning action and altercasting. The results of this study indicate that three out of seven informants use a legitimized identity, namely still showing themselves as women in the Mobile Legends online game, the seven informants use a resistant identity, namely having high skills and rank levels to avoid stereotypes and discrimination carried out by male players and there are four informants who use project identities, namely covering their real names, photos and gender using pseudonyms, fake photos and making gender unknown. The reasons for the formation of virtual identities of the seven informants are self-promotion found in six informants and supplification found in one informant.