Chess, Shira. (2011) “Going with the Flo: Diner Dash and Feminism.”

Chess's article "Going with the Flo: Diner Dash And Feminism" discusses the popular line of “Diner Dash” games and its hidden aspect of feminism and empowerment. The Diner Dash games consist of the main character Flo who waitresses for different diners and passes through levels that get more advanced as the player plays. As the player plays, they are guided with narration that is broad and very open to interpretation. Not only does Diner Dash create a discourse for women and girls, but creates a casual game for those who are not hard core games.


This article sources the Casual Games Association's Market Report’s 2007 statistics on casual games that states 74 percent of casual gamers are women. Chess states that according to sources women are more apt to playing casual games because of the style of casual games (usually home making, cooking, or puzzle games), while men are more apt to games like Call of Duty. Chess quotes Christine Gledhill’s perspective on feminism in video games and how the narratives of these games empower, challenge and provide a sense of identity. Gledhill states that when “Approached from this perspective, the cultural ‘work’ of the text concerns the generation of different readings; readings which challenge each other, provoke social negotiation of meanings, definitions and identities” (Gledhill [1988] 1994, p. 119). Chess sums up her argument by stating that feminine games are on the rise, and that researchers should continue to dive deeper into providing games that are aimed at women.


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