How female video gamers experience being part of a male dominated community

Abstract

The video gaming community consists of 1.8 billion gamers, 55% are male and 45% are female, suggesting a male majority in the gaming sector (Statista 2019). The aims of the current study were to; (a) allow women to have their say about their experiences, (b) to improve women’s gaming experiences (c) to improve the way the community perceive female gamers and lastly (d) to fill the gap in research. An online questionnaire consisting of eight open ended questions was conducted. Two master themes were identified: 1. being a female video gamer and 2. the masculine scene. The analysis suggested that although participants disassociate as having a gamer identity, they did feel included within the community: ‘Very included. I have often played other games online and feel that I am able to play just as well if not better’ (Kelsey 207-208). They expressed that gaming is a hobby, however feel a community connection. Furthermore, they mentioned that gender is not linked to gaming, labels such as ‘gamer-girl’ are unnecessary. Moreover, that stereotypes are formed from childhood upbringing: ‘I feel like gaming is male-dominated because of them mostly being in the “male” sections in stores such as the Argos catalogue when I was a child’ (Rebecca 384-386). The reason the community is male dominated is because children are taught what is stereotypically acceptable which carries through to adulthood. Finally, limitations and future directions were discussed.