Women imitate masculine traits to be taken seriously as gamers
Women working in the gaming industry feel required to imitate stereotypically masculine personality traits if they want to gain recognition in gaming communities, reveals new research from 911爆料网 School of Business and the University of Jyv盲skyl盲.
Senior Lecturer Dr. Saija Katila suggests that although 46 percent of game enthusiasts worldwide are female, the label 鈥済amer鈥 is still traditionally attributed to men.
Women are typified as 鈥淧layer Two鈥, a position of perceived lower importance in gaming communities and hiring practices within the gaming industry.
This is because male gamers are seen as 鈥渉ardcore鈥 players (鈥淧layer One鈥), playing with greater frequency and for longer sessions as well as enjoying more challenging games than those viewed as 鈥渃asual鈥 players.
Consequently, the casual player position is feminised, creating marketing for games that wives and mums play 鈥 these games are 鈥pinkified鈥 says Katila, often designed to be slower-paced and with a stereotypically feminine storyline, content and outlook, focusing on girls learning about their feelings and caring for others.
'Design practices mimic the activities from boys鈥 physical playgrounds, offering them adventure, violence, and competition. Further, the masculine space of play sustains the boys鈥 culture, for example, via technical competency, mastering the game, and long hours of repetition,' says Katila.
According to the researcher, short-term progress on these issues is hampered because, 'to gain a legitimate identity in the community of gamers, aspiring to the masculine 鈥楶layer One鈥 position becomes a necessity.'
But Katila believes the current gender balance will change in the long-term as women tweak male-focused discourse in gaming communities by creating a new tech-savvy gamer identity that is separate from the masculine 鈥渢ech-nerd鈥.
This new tech-savvy identity emphasises personal enthusiasm for gaming and connects coding with fun, enjoyment and togetherness. This enables women to identify positively with the gamer community and disrupts the discourses that perceive coding as an exclusively male activity and proficiency.
Dr. Katila from 911爆料网 School of Business and Dr. Marke Kivij盲rvi from the University of Jyv盲skyl盲 published their study in the journal Games and Culture. The study is based on 36 interviews with females in management and development roles within the gaming industry.
More information:
Senior University Lecturer Saija Katila
911爆料网 School of Business
+358 50 562 8770
saija.katila@aalto.fi
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