Female Representation in Videogames Isn't Getting Any Better

Sarkeesian, A., Petit, C. (2019). Female Representation in Videogames Isn't Getting Any Better. WIRED 2019.
This article proves that representative equality in the video game industry is still far behind where it should be. Sarkeesian & Petit used data from the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) from 2015 to 2019 to quantify gender representation in the video game industry. The time frame is significant due to Gamergate in 2014, a misogynist movement that used video game as its platform. While open character creation options are more prevalent than in previous years, games with only a female protagonist are few. 
Sarkeesian & Petit quantified the data by counting the number of games at E3 with male, female, gender-ambiguous, and open character options. The data show that in those years, there were 3-10x more male protagonists than female. Sarkeesian & Petit also counted presenters featured at 2019 E3, and found that there were about 4x as many male presenters than female presenters (21% female, 79% male). 
The data collected by this study are important in understanding representation in video games because they show that the industry could contribute more to social equity. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Connolly, Thomas. 2001 An alternate reality game or language learning: ARGuing for multilingual motivation

Connolly, Thomas. (2011). An alternate reality game or language learning: ARGuing for multilingual motivation. Computers Education, 57 (1) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131511000261 The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usage of ARG games in relation to learning a foreign language. The study that was created was implemented as a project within the European Commission Comenius project to be used in secondary schools across Europe. The purpose of the study was to implement cooperation and learning within the school environment as well as to support the use of ARGs in teaching and show different learning tactics. The general outcome of the “experiment” was calculated using pre- and post- questionnaires to gauge student feedback on the project. According to the article student feedback was fairly positive toward the use of the ARG and seemed to motivate the students in a way that had not been done before. Many students in the ending survey stated that the...
Read more

Barr, Matthew. Student Attitudes to Games-Based Skills Development: Learning from Video Games in Higher Education.

Barr, Matthew. "Student Attitudes to Games-Based Skills Development: Learning from Video Games in Higher Education." Computers in Human Behavior, Vol. 80, 2018, pp. 283-294, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563217306684, doi:10.1016/j.chb.2017.11.030 The purpose of this study “was to document the attitudes of those students involved in the quantitative study and to explore how the game-based intervention was perceived.” (p. 283).  Researchers found a “broadly positive perception of the games' efficacy for skills development” (p. 283). Of the undergraduates that participated in the study, the in-game elements that participated felt contributed the most to skill development. “include the need to communicate with team mates in order to succeed, and the fluid, unpredictable nature of in-game challenges.” (p. 283). This study suggests, based on the factors that undergraduates think are the most important to developing useful skills (like communication, ...
Read more
Humphreys, L. (2016, December 9). Involvement shield or social catalyst: Thoughts on sociospatial practice of Pokémon GO. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2050157916677864  Humphreys acknowledges the rise of people leaving their couches to go outside and catch Pokémon with their friends. While she emphasizes that the game is not comparable to social networking applications, she does mention how it can contribute to increased social activity. They also mentions, however, that augmented reality games, such as Pokémon Go, can actually be a detriment to social situations. Instead of paying attention to the people around you, the pocket monsters popping up on your screen grasp your full attention. In this particular paper, Humphreys does not detail a research study on people, instead focusing on what the problem could be and how to fix it. Since we already established that Pokémon Go could lead to a lack of social interaction, regardless of the player’...
Read more