Gazing through games: unveiling the perception of institutionalized tourist gaze and its role in shaping destination images in racing video games.

Traditionally, Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) have played a dominant role in shaping destination images through the Institutionalized Tourist Gaze. However, the rise of social media, as techno-mediated and participatory platforms, has empowered tourists to share their own interpretations of locales, introducing a more Democratized Tourist Gaze. While the Institutionalized Tourist Gaze is adopted in the digital and interactive realm of video games, its relevance and contribution in forming destination images remain understudied. This study, focusing on racing video games, employs a netnographic approach to explore how the Institutionalized Tourist Gaze is perceived by gamers, to assess its significance in virtual and participatory realms. Additionally, this paper investigates how this gaze contributes to the creation of destination images to expand our comprehension of the dynamics of conative and affective image formation within the new scenario of video games. Our findings demonstrate the relevance of the Institutionalized Tourist Gaze in video games. It influences the formation of both conative and affective images of the broadcasted locales. Specifically, for gamers unfamiliar with the depicted destinations, this gaze fosters familiarity, spatial orientation, and a sense of travel and escapism. Conversely, for gamers already acquainted with these locations, it evokes pride and nationalism, offering a unique opportunity to experience their homeland from new and often inaccessible perspectives.