Gaming Against Digital Divide: Qualitative Research on Gamers’ Access to Equipment

In the digital gaming industry, production relations are primarily structured around creative actors such as game companies, developers, and publishers. However, gamers also participate in this ecosystem, occupying dual roles as both consumers and producers. This study examines gamers’ experiences, which constitute an essential component of the gaming industry, through the lens of the first level of the digital divide, which pertains to access to gaming equipment. Specifically, it investigates the extent to which gamers’ ability to obtain the necessary equipment influences the quality of their gaming experience and their potential progression toward professionalization. The primary aim of the study is to explore how gamers’ access to the necessary hardware, peripherals, and suitable gaming environments shapes their ability to enter the gaming sphere, develop their skills across different types of games, and potentially reach a professional level. These processes are analyzed in relation to the physical-access dimension of the first-level digital divide. The study employs a qualitative research design and is based on in-depth interviews with 16 Turkish PC and console gamers, primarily casual players and including one professional gamer. The data were categorized and analyzed under four key themes: gamers’ perceptions of gaming and professionalism; the role of gaming equipment and access in ensuring a high-quality gaming experience; the relationship between economic resources and gaming performance; and strategies used to compensate for limited access to equipment. The findings, contextualized within the relevant literature, indicate that access to high-quality equipment, the ability to make game-related purchases, and sufficient time for gameplay are critical factors. Additionally, financial support during periods of unemployment, as well as material and emotional support from individuals outside gaming communities, plays a key role in entering and advancing within the gaming field. Thus, players who experience physical-access barriers associated with the first-level digital divide because of limited economic resources occupy a disadvantaged position within the gaming field. However, these structural inequalities remain largely unrecognized by participants, as some expressed the belief that economic barriers can be overcome through talent, determination, and luck. Opportunities such as participation in tournaments and content creation (e.g., live streaming) were perceived as viable paths to recognition and professional success, thereby masking the substantial inequalities produced by the digital divide.