When women make boys games and other research
Working with three guys on a game focused on a Male demographic (age 18-30) as a female game developer is really interesting and has prompted a sweep of the academic and grey literature.
Doing Gender in the Videogame Industry
Pontus Boholm Joakim Wikström (2017)
Abstract
The field of ICT has traditionally been seen a masculine area and research has shown that is problematic for women to both enter and stay in the field. Looking at industrial growth, the field of gaming has become the prominent one, and has surpassed all other entries in media and culture. Gaming, also perceived as a masculine area, does however have a gender distribution of players that almost is equal. Still, the workforce is dominated by males, and the games are designed by males, for males. Medial tools (such as gaming) are representing societal models, which is the source of information that is most influential in shaping how people perceive and creates values about gender in the society. As mostly males are designing these societal models in the games, and that almost everyone is playing them, there are reasons to believe that the view of gender in society may be moulded from the male perspective in the gender S tructure. This study adds additional knowledge and understanding of how gender is done, by applying the concept of Doing Gender at the gaming industry. Which leads to the research question, “how is the gaming industry doing gender”.
The question is answered by applying a theoretical framework to highlight patterns and answers in
empirical data gathered in semi-structured interviews with actors in the gaming industry. The results show that there is a broad understanding and gender consciousness from the eyes of the interviewees. However, this study also show that a broader gender consciousness is essential to make the gaming industry a more appealing place for the female gender, as well as keeping their interest for gaming when growing up. In addition, we advise that the component of Setting as is added when creating and designing video game characters out of a gender conscious perspective.
Keywords; Doing gender, gender inclusion, gender stereotypes, gaming industry
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3252/06000fcc64ad6a90855f82dd7544abde1c8c.pdf
In examining the narrative, the player will assume a spy character which is presumed male when viewed through the lens of this demographic. However, there could be a female option. If so, would this be by character design only or would it have ‘female’ traits and qualities or a even a different narrative?
What if I was to design a spy AR mobile app for a Male and female demographic... or purely female, how would it differ?
Examining the Experience of Women in Games 140 Characters at a Time
Abstract
Recent discourses around digital games and game cultures have revealed myriad challenges for
female professionals in the game industry. One of these conversations began in late 2012 on the social networking platform Twitter when a user posed the question, “Why are there so few lady game creators?” Using the hashtag #1ReasonWhy, Twitter users from across the game industry and game-playing communities contributed to a discussion about what women experience in public and online game-playing spaces, at game industry events, in game industry workplaces, and in the media. This article examines the #1ReasonWhy conversation to uncover how members of the game industry
and of game communities account for why so few women choose to pursue and stay in game industry careers. Better understanding, women’s experiences can aid researchers, educators, and game industry stakeholders in theorizing how to make meaningful and strategic improvements to game cultures and industry spaces.
https://journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.falmouth.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1177/1555412017709418
Doing Gender in the Videogame Industry
Pontus Boholm Joakim Wikström (2017)
Abstract
The field of ICT has traditionally been seen a masculine area and research has shown that is problematic for women to both enter and stay in the field. Looking at industrial growth, the field of gaming has become the prominent one, and has surpassed all other entries in media and culture. Gaming, also perceived as a masculine area, does however have a gender distribution of players that almost is equal. Still, the workforce is dominated by males, and the games are designed by males, for males. Medial tools (such as gaming) are representing societal models, which is the source of information that is most influential in shaping how people perceive and creates values about gender in the society. As mostly males are designing these societal models in the games, and that almost everyone is playing them, there are reasons to believe that the view of gender in society may be moulded from the male perspective in the gender S tructure. This study adds additional knowledge and understanding of how gender is done, by applying the concept of Doing Gender at the gaming industry. Which leads to the research question, “how is the gaming industry doing gender”.
The question is answered by applying a theoretical framework to highlight patterns and answers in
empirical data gathered in semi-structured interviews with actors in the gaming industry. The results show that there is a broad understanding and gender consciousness from the eyes of the interviewees. However, this study also show that a broader gender consciousness is essential to make the gaming industry a more appealing place for the female gender, as well as keeping their interest for gaming when growing up. In addition, we advise that the component of Setting as is added when creating and designing video game characters out of a gender conscious perspective.
Keywords; Doing gender, gender inclusion, gender stereotypes, gaming industry
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3252/06000fcc64ad6a90855f82dd7544abde1c8c.pdf
In examining the narrative, the player will assume a spy character which is presumed male when viewed through the lens of this demographic. However, there could be a female option. If so, would this be by character design only or would it have ‘female’ traits and qualities or a even a different narrative?
What if I was to design a spy AR mobile app for a Male and female demographic... or purely female, how would it differ?
Examining the Experience of Women in Games 140 Characters at a Time
Abstract
Recent discourses around digital games and game cultures have revealed myriad challenges for
female professionals in the game industry. One of these conversations began in late 2012 on the social networking platform Twitter when a user posed the question, “Why are there so few lady game creators?” Using the hashtag #1ReasonWhy, Twitter users from across the game industry and game-playing communities contributed to a discussion about what women experience in public and online game-playing spaces, at game industry events, in game industry workplaces, and in the media. This article examines the #1ReasonWhy conversation to uncover how members of the game industry
and of game communities account for why so few women choose to pursue and stay in game industry careers. Better understanding, women’s experiences can aid researchers, educators, and game industry stakeholders in theorizing how to make meaningful and strategic improvements to game cultures and industry spaces.
https://journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.falmouth.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1177/1555412017709418
