Lead Faculty: Betty Hayes

Computer gaming continues to be a very masculine practice, dominated by male players and game designers. Women are gaming in growing numbers but they tend to play "casual" games such as Tetris or Solitaire rather than the more complex, immersive games that attract a male audience. The latter games offer more opportunities for players to engage in sophisticated, challenging types of learning associated with the use of digital technologies, such as learning basic programming or the use of computer-based graphic design tools. Thus, girls and women may be missing significant opportunities to develop tech-related skills, potentially contributing to their under-representation in computer and technology-related fields.

Our past and current research suggests that common stereotypes of female gamers are erroneous, and contribute to the continued marginalization of girls and women in gaming communities. Our ongoing work in this area is guided by the following questions:

1. What are the features of digital games and practices that are good for becoming "tech-savvy"?

2. What conditions support girls and women in mastering and enjoying games with these features?

3. How do these gaming experiences contribute to skills, knowledge, and orientations towards digital technologies?

Recent Papers
Gendered Identity at Play
Tech Trends

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