Women are From FarmVille, Men are From ViceCity: The Cycle of Exclusion and Sexism in Video Game Content and Culture

• In Event: Portrayals of Identity in and Around Video Games

Abstract

While female players comprise almost half of the video game playing community, there remain pronounced differences in the extent to which females are involved within gaming communities and industries as compared to their male counterparts. Gender socialization processes and the exclusion of females’ in the games industry have been independently proposed as contributing to these differences; however, no known research has assessed the potential cultivation of sexist beliefs and attitudes among video game players over time. Enlisting a longitudinal design, the cultivation of sexist beliefs and attitudes among game players was assessed among a representative sample of players (N = 902). Multi-group structural equation modeling revealed no evidence for the cultivation of sexist attitudes and beliefs among players over time. The current results indicate that video gaming communities remain separated along gender lines and that sexist beliefs and attitudes may contribute to this divide, albeit not through direct cultivation effects.

Authors

• Rachel Kowert, The University of Munster

• Johannes Breuer, University of Cologne

• Ruth Festl, University of Muenster

• Thorsten Quandt, U of Muenster