Consideration of current debates about gender in video games by examining 40 years of industry choices that marginalized female gamers. Focus on contemporary fragmentation and diversification in games that has lead to disruption of traditional markets.

1. PLAYING LIKE A GIRL:
TALES OF A FEMINIST GAMER
Nina B. Huntemann |Suffolk University |@ninabeth

3. MONEY

4. TECHNOLOGY

5. DEVIANCE: DOA

8. FEAR

9. Q*Bert Defender
Galaga Donkey KongSpace Invaders

10. More Games – More Fun
Atari VCS
The Arcade Quality
Video Game System
Coleco Vision

12. Nintendo Entertainment
System (NES) 1985
Vectrex 1982

13. So escort Ms. Pac-
Man out of the
arcade. Because
this woman’s place
is in the home.

14. She’s been
hanging around
the arcade for
years. Think how
much fun she’ll be
when you get her
home.

17. “For Men” “Feel free to stare, ladies.”
Game Boy Advance

18. POWER

19. Navigating Junior High School
Girl Games Movement

20. GIRLS
BOYS
Covert
compe++on
Overt
compe++on
Desire
to
establish
rela+onships/friendships
Desire
to
establish
physical
superiority/
power
Social
status
tends
to
be
determined
by
affilia+ons
and
exclusion
Social
status
tends
to
be
determined
by
achievement
and
physical
domina+on
Aim
to
figure
out
opponent
Aim
to
outwit
opponent
Gendered Play Preferences

21. Girl Games: The Safe Path

22. Girl Games: The Safe Path

23. 1993: Violence & Video Games
“Like the Grinch who stole Christmas, these
violent video games threaten to rob this
particular holiday season of a spirit of good
will.”

24. ESRB Ratings System

26. GIRL POWER

27. 1990s

28. 2000s

29. 2010s

30. Stevie ‘Killcreek’ Case
“World’s Hottest gamer”
Ubisoft’s Frag Dolls
How to snag a gamer girlfriend: Five tips to help you find the elusive girl gamer
--PC Magazine
“HOT” GAMER GIRLS

31. Jessica Chobot
Maxim Radio & IGN host
Morgan Webb
“The Gaming Goddess”
FHM columnist & G4 TV host
“Many a nerd has spent countless years of their lives devoted to the pursuit
of the mythical creature known as the ‘Gamer Girl’.”
--Crave
“HOT” GAMER GIRLS

32. WHO IS THIS FOR?

33. Is THIS what it means to be a
girl/woman who plays games?
WHO IS THIS FOR?

34. “10 Signs Your Girlfriend is a Fake Gamer”
Complex Gaming, October 31, 2012
“…it can be pretty frustrating to date
someone who’s only acting the part
when you thought you’d found a
perfect match… (this list) should
help you decipher whether or not
your sweetheart is in fact a gaming
enthusiast or just posturing.”

35. FELICIA DAY “QUEEN GEEK”
• Does Felicia Day matter at all? I
mean does she actually
contribute anything useful to this
industry, besides retaining a
geek persona?”
• @feliciaday, could you be
considered nothing more than a
glorified booth babe? You don't
seem to add anything creative
to the medium.
-- Ryan Perez, Destructoid

36. PLAY

37. “All play means
something.”
―
Johan
Huizinga
(1938)
Homo
Ludens:
A
Study
of
the
Play-­‐Element
in
Culture

39. Gender Swapping in MMORPGs

42. FUTURE OF GAMES?
02/24/15 (Tue) 23:34:52 ID: cdd00d No. 402718
I just had a crazy good idea.
[…]
Honestly, best thing we can do is make video games not cool
anymore while still being inclusive to anyone who wants to keep
playing. Imagine if most people hated video games and
thought they were for losers. No on would want to play their
crappy educational games because games are for nerds.
We get rid of the causal filth […]

43. PLAY GAMES!

44. PLAY GAMES!

45. MAKE GAMES!