The impact of gender expectations on the evaluation of video game livestreaming content

As the market for livestreaming video game content grows, there is an increasing need to understand how consumers evaluate livestreamers. We propose that gender stereotypes associated with video games spill over into consumer judgments of livestreamers, their content, and the brands they promote. Specifically, consumers have different expectations of performance for female and male livestreamers, which, when violated, lead to negative downstream consequences for streamers and brands that support them. Across a pilot study and five experiments (n = 2402), we demonstrate that when livestreamers violate expectations of video game performance, consumers high in emotional intelligence (EI) are less likely to engage with them. Specifically, consumers high in EI are less likely to engage with a female (male) streamer when they perform well (poorly). Additionally, we find that while marketing interventions can enhance evaluations of brand partners among high EI consumers, they are less effective in altering consumer evaluations of female streamers. These findings contribute to our understanding of consumer engagement with livestreamers, the role of gender in video game subcultures, and the impact of consumer EI on consumption.