Gaming roles versus gender roles in online gameplay

Frontiers in Psychology, 2013

The objective of the study is to present and discuss attitudes, perceptions and opinions about sexism and gendered play in the massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMO), World of Warcraft. Through the use of an online survey which includes both multiple choice questions and open-ended questions, the research discusses the major themes and findings expressed by the World of Warcraft forum users (N = 294). The descriptive statistical findings presented are derived from the multiple choice questions. Within the sample, the results reveal that sexism is a contentious topic in the World of Warcraft community. 63.6% (n = 75) of female respondents reported experiencing sexism within the game. 27.5% (n = 44) of male respondents and 45.3% (n = 53) of female respondents believe that sexism is a problem in the game. Overall, 64.4% (n = 183) of the respondents reported sexism as a non-issue in the game. Themes surrounding the topic of sexism experienced within the game are presented based on frequency of homogenous responses. Based on the multiple choice questions and the open-ended questions, the research argues that sexism and gendered play in gaming should be studied more closely, as the results reveal that many MMO players are affected negatively by it.

Journal of …, 2009

Sex Roles, 2017

Women and men play video games in approximately equal numbers. Despite this, video gaming is still strongly associated with the male gender. A common justification for this stereotype is that, while women might play games, they should not be considered "true" or "hard-core" gamers because they play more casually and less skillfully compared to their male counterparts. In this contribution, we review the existing literature on gender and gaming to investigate the male gamer stereotype in terms of its accuracy, persistence, effects, and future perspective. We conclude that the stereotype varies in accuracy depending on the definition of "gamer". We further argue that the persistence of this stereotype can be explained by the fact that almost all professional and highly visible figures in gaming culture are male. On the other hand, female players who achieve a moderate level of competence are rendered invisible or are actively marginalized. We argue that the effects of the male gamer stereotype can be harmful to women, precluding them from the positive outcomes of video game play, such as limiting their access to fields of science, technology, and engineering.

Online gaming continues to grow in popularity enabled by advances in web and mobile technology. Many players around the world enjoy the competitive atmosphere, mental challenges, social interaction and fantasy aspects of the games. However, gaming continues to be perceived as an activity for adolescents and males, which presents problems for companies trying to leverage games for training and marketing because it excludes half of the population -females. To better understand online gaming behavior of men and women we systematically reviewed extant literature on gaming and documented gender differences and similarities in six aspects of gaming: (1) Adoption, (2) Motivation, (3) Social Interaction, (4) Selfpresentation, (5) Skills and Performance, and (6) Play. We find that there are both similarities and differences in gaming choices, motives, play behavior and performance of men and women. Based on our findings, we suggest possible strategies for developers, marketers and educators to achieve gender parity.

This document gives an overview of the project work done with the objective of devising a methodology to counter gender misrepresentation and unrealistic character development in gaming, in order to aid further research and development of game characters. The project combines the usage of games as tools to study human behaviour with the usage of the data obtained from that process to enhance the quality of the game development process.

Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2019

Research investigating female gaming has begun to emerge despite gaming being traditionally more popular with males. Research in the 21st century has drawn attention to the role of women in culture, society, and technology, and female gaming is one of the growing phenomena not to have been researched in depth. The aim of the present paper was to review female gaming (i.e., the role of females within video game culture) and identify any associated psychopathological symptomatology. The review adapted the Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research (SPIDER) model in conducting a narrative literature review. A search of three scientific electronic databases yielded 49 papers for further evaluation. From a methodological perspective, studies had to fulfill the following criteria to be included: i) published between the years 2000 and 2018; ii) assessed female gaming or the female position within gaming culture, iii) contained quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods approaches to produce empirical data or discuss theoretical implications through reviews, iv) be retrievable as a full-text peer-reviewed journal paper, and v) published in English, German, Polish, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, or French. Four categories emerged from the papers: i) the benefits of female gaming, ii) why women might play video games less than men, iii) perceptions and realities of female characters within video games, and iv) women's position in gaming culture. The main findings showed playing video games has benefits for women in terms of enhancing cognitive, social, and physical abilities. However, they are less encouraged to play video games due to negative expectations based on gender and/or experiences during game play. Video games are associated with stereotypical male characteristics, such as being overly aggressive, and frequently contain sexualized content. Female gamers appear to require coping strategies to handle online harassment. Females look for different things in video games, which are not often included in game designs thereby limiting their abilities. For instance, female avatar representation-which is exaggerated and hypersexualized-can prompt social comparisons and lead to feelings of decreased selfesteem, depression, and other impacts on well-being. Overall, there are still obstacles for women playing video games even though they comprise half of the gaming population.

Journal of Media Psychology, 2010

Demographic research and anecdotal evidence suggest that, historically, games have been dominated by male players. However, newer research shows gains by female players, especially in online games. Therefore, how gamers perceive the masculinity of other gamers in game has become relevant. Two experiments examine how two variables – game genre and player skill – inform gender perception in online games. Results from both studies show that game genre is a salient cue for gender perception, but that perception of player skill is not. A number of gender differences in perceptions of player skill and the relationship between genre and perceptions of player masculinity are also identified. These findings are an important first step in understanding the perception of others in online entertainment environments.

While there are numerous approaches to video games and their effects on society today, I will focus specifically on different aspects of video games and gender. What is the range of genders depicted in video games today? What effects does gender representation in video games have on children as well as adult players? How does game content affect each gender? What differences in game play exist between genders? How do players represent their gender when playing video games?

Women are playing video games in ever increasing numbers. However, the empirical literature has consistently shown that males play video games more frequently than females, that males play for longer periods, and that both genders are equally likely to view game playing as a masculine pursuit. As a consequence, a study was carried out to examine salient themes in the experiences and motivations of females who frequently play ‘casual’ video games. The participants comprised 16 adult female casual-gamers who completed two self-report online interviews (at the beginning and at the end of the study) and participated in an online blog/diary and discussion forum over a four-week period. The data were analysed for salient themes using Thematic Analysis. Results showed areas that were important to female casual-gamers included knowledge peripheral to games, domestic commitments and personal priorities influenced by gaming, and the social, financial, and emotional investment of games. By exploring the prominent themes underlying women’s motivations to play casual games, the results provided potential new research directions for future research on women gamers from positively gendered perspectives.