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

[Philip Michael Zeman]

Hello Andrea

can you provide some specific reference to your study?  Our own research investigates spatial navigation ability in a video game environment and we find distinct differences between how males and females (on average) interact with allocentric information.  The data show that in some cases, females respond as typical males do while in other cases, females do something different.

Best

Phil Zeman


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Andrea Lewis 
  To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List 
  Sent: Friday, July 08, 2011 8:00 AM
  Subject: Re: [casual_games] Girls/women and casual games - a psychological study TBD.... input? ideas?


  Hello all, 

  Nearly 2 years ago I "crowdsourced" my research question for my MSc research topic on female gamers and casual games.  I received many replies and helpful suggestions on the topic as well as assistance in finding studies on female gamers.

  In a bit of self-promotion (please excuse and forgive me), I happy to say that the study has been published.  I have included the abstract below and should you find the topic of interest, I am quite happy to share a copy (no restrictions on distribution) with you directly (off list).  

  I write especially to the IGDA because I believe there is some insightful information in the data for game developers.

  I thank you all once again for the help.

  very best,
  Andrea Lewis

  ----

  Confronting gender representation: A qualitative study of the experiences and motivations of female casual-gamers

  Andrea Lewis & Mark D. Griffiths

  Abstract: 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.

  Key words: video game playing, gender, thematic analysis


   
  On Thu, Oct 29, 2009 at 4:41 PM, Andrea Lewis <helloandrea at gmail.com> wrote:

    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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