Abstract
Gaming is widespread among adolescents and has typically been viewed as an activity for boys. There are however a growing number of female gamers and we need to learn more about how gender affects gaming. The aim of this study is to both quantify gaming among Norwegian adolescents and explore how gender differences are perceived. A mixed method approach was used to capture gaming experiences among boys and girls. Survey data (N = 5607) was analyzed descriptively, and five focus groups were conducted, applying thematic analysis. Statistics showed that boys from the age of 14 use video games up to 5 times more than girls, while girls are much more on social media. From the focus groups, we found that boys did not view social media as socially significant as gaming and that there is a greater social acceptance of gaming among boys than among girls. Gender differences in video gaming are not necessarily a problem per se, as they may reflect gender-specific motivations and interests. However, the study also finds that girls feel less encouraged than boys to play video games due to different gender-related experiences of video gaming. Therefore, gendered barriers in video gaming must be explored in future research.
Highlights
The purpose of this study is to explore gender differences in various aspects of video gaming
The present study aims to investigate [1] how gender effects video gaming behavior in Norwegian adolescents and [2] how secondary school students in Norway perceive and understand gender differences in video gaming
As our analysis indicated, it is useful to distinguish between video games played on consoles and computers and those played on smartphones and tablets, as the latter did not show gender differences
Summary
The aim of this study is to both quantify gaming among Norwegian adolescents and explore how gender differences are perceived. The purpose of this study is to explore gender differences in various aspects of video gaming. This study aimed to achieve an overall understanding of gamers’ practices and experiences
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