Gender Representation and Diversity in Contemporary Video Games

Süngü, Ertuğrul

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-37643-7_17

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…While many of the patterns found here were consistent with gender stereotypes, this does not mean that games should be designed to replicate these stereotypes. Critical research in this area is increasing e.g., [57], [58] and games that do not reinforce gender stereotypes have become extremely popular in recent years (e.g., Overwatch, Fortnite). Such games arguably help counteract gender stereotypes, for example by offering broader ranges of gender representation in game characters.…”

Section: B Practical Implications For Designers and Producersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender, Gaming Motives, and Genre: Comparing Singaporean, German, and American Players

Ratan

Chen

Degrove³

et al. 2022

IEEE Trans. Games

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This study examines gender and country differences with respect to a range of gaming motivations (e.g., social, performance, habit) and game genre choices (e.g., action, sports, casual). Surveys were conducted with 634 university students from Singapore, Germany and the US. Overall, the findings suggest that many game motivations and genre choices differed by player gender, country, and the interaction between gender and country in some cases. Further, game motivations and genre choices were related to each other, though sometimes in a negative direction. Finally, differences in gaming motivations, genre choices, and gender, but not the country of residence, were all found to relate to differences in future intention to play. Although these topics have been studied in isolation in previous research, the present study contributes unique insights about the intersections of gender, cultural background, gaming motivations, and genre choices.

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Section: B Practical Implications For Designers and Producersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender, Gaming Motives, and Genre: Comparing Singaporean, German, and American Players

Ratan

Chen

Degrove³

et al. 2022

IEEE Trans. Games

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This may manifest as character portrayals that follow gender stereotypes or uneven representation of diverse gender identities (Malkowski, 2017). However, it has been observed by scholars like Süngü (2020) that efforts have been made to enhance the representation of diverse characters within the game.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

He Is Not Your Hero: Gendered Experience Unveiled Through Gameplay Videos (A Case Study of Genji From Overwatch)

2023

Proceedings of the 17 Th International Conference on Interfaces and Human Computer Interaction 2023 (IHCI 2023), the 17th Inter

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The gaming industry has predominately exhibited a significant gender disparity, resulting in the portrayal of game characters, including avatars, in a manner that reinforces gender stereotypes. This study aims to investigate the impact of avatar portrayal on the overall gaming encounter among individuals with diverse gender identities. To achieve this objective, gameplay videos are analysed as valuable sources of players' experiences. The case study focuses on Genji, an avatar from the video game Overwatch (2016) and its subsequent sequel and replacement. By employing multimodal discourse analysis, the study examines the impact of avatar characteristics on player engagement in the context of Overwatch ( 2016) and Overwatch 2 (2022). The findings reveal that avatar characteristics significantly influence player engagement, particularly in terms of gameplay mechanics, surpassing that of the narrative. The endorsement of heteronormative representations, as the character Genji exemplifies, could conspires with the toxic environment. The research advocates that promoting gender inclusivity in the gaming industry requires the integration of a wide range of avatars that not only reflect queerness in the narrative but also in the game mechanics, thereby fostering a more inclusive gaming atmosphere.

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16-bit dissensus: post-retro aesthetics, hauntology, and the emergency in video games

Dolan

2022

RPJGM

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Santiago Zabala reveals a crisis in modern society that perceives a world dominated by oppressive neoliberal ideology as acceptable and unproblematic. He claims that today’s greatest emergency is that we fail to notice other emergencies in society. To break out of this state, we need an aesthetic force to shock individuals into a new awareness. Unfortunately, while many social and global issues have recently come to widespread attention, the emergency still prevails in many forms of media. For example, the emergency in AAA video games appears in their continual push for higher resolution graphics, hyper-detail, verisimilitude, and intricate gameplay, perpetuating a hegemonic ideology. Exploitative labor practices, lack of representation beyond hetero-sexual, cis-gendered and neurotypical, and capitalist ideals are perpetuated in popular games in service of a hyper-real, high-fidelity aesthetic. One force that combats this emergency is pixel graphics and simplified gameplay, or post-retro aesthetics. While tied to the past, these aesthetics are not nostalgic but transgressively hauntological. To explore this claim, I discuss Dys4ia and Undertale as key post-retro games and reach beyond commercial indie gaming to point to hauntological work being done through DIY game making platformers such as Bitsy.

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Gender Representation and Diversity in Contemporary Video Games

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

Gender, Gaming Motives, and Genre: Comparing Singaporean, German, and American Players

Gender, Gaming Motives, and Genre: Comparing Singaporean, German, and American Players

He Is Not Your Hero: Gendered Experience Unveiled Through Gameplay Videos (A Case Study of Genji From Overwatch)

16-bit dissensus: post-retro aesthetics, hauntology, and the emergency in video games

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