Attacks in the comment sections of 10 Danish gaming influencers' YouTube channels

The gaming industry is increasing all over the world, and with it comes a larger number of gaming
influencers. It is well known that gaming influencers have great commercial influence, especially
for children and young people, but what significance do gaming influencers have on the culture of
gaming?

We have made an analysis of the ten largest Danish gaming influencers' YouTube channels. Out of
the 109,654 comments on which the analysis is based, 1,637 of them contain linguistic attacks.
Sexism, toxic masculinity and attacks on minorities are recurring themes. The videos where most
attacks occur are about something other than gaming. On the contrary, the heated debate occurs
when major social issues are discussed or personal stories are shared. The study also provides
examples of how followers help to speak out when people attack each other in the comments lane