[casual_games] Girls/women and casual games - a psychological study TBD.... input? ideas?

[Andrea Lewis]

Hi all -

First, I did check the archives before  making this post and decided that it
would be worthwhile to poll opinion.

I am currently pursuing an MSc in CyberPsychology in the UK and would like
to do my thesis research on women and gaming, specifically casual gaming.
My main issue/problem is that I have yet to carve out a clear research
question... however, I know the issues that have led me to this topic and so
I thought I would share and see if others might have opinion or insight that
would help me to get closer to my topic...

1) I am tired of hearing that women/girls dont play video games
2) I am bothered that when I do hear discussions that acknowledge that women
play casual games, the next sentence often dismisses casual games as "not
real games"
3) I dont think that women only play "fluffy cute" games and are opposed to
killing, shooting, competitive games
4) I am curious about the biological differences in men and women that may
make one gender more inclined to a certain type of socialization, but I
think everyone is unique
5) I would like to uncover something profound about women and gaming culture
6) I would like to approach casual games and casual game play with a
seriousness that may have been overlooked in the past
7) I am interested in in-depth interviews with female gamers  as well as
with uncovering broader statistics
8) I am very interested in women and game addiction and how it might differ
from male game addiction (the predominant population currently studied).
9) While my access may be limited, I am definitely interested in
cross-cultural and cross-generational aspects of female gamers
10) I think casual games kick ass.

So far, that is my personal hot list of why I want to explore this area.  If
it sparks something in you and you are moved to reply, comment, argue,
dismiss... by all means please do so -- whether here publicly or privately
to me...   Also, if you have come across research, articles, books, please
share as I am amassing an enormous list of resources.

Thank you,
Andrea

ps - I am a digital media project manager and recruiter, lived in NYC
and worked in the media industry for 10+ years before returning for my
masters... Now living in the UK, just ran into some old friends at
www.gamecity.org... and, among other things, games are a passion but I am by
no means a "gamer" - I am a bit more interested in the business and culture
of games.  I also focus on women as a population because, well, I am one.
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