Gaming roles versus gender roles in online gameplay

Abstract

ABSTRACT The research presented here examines gender roles and differential experiences of men and women associated with gaming, a multi-billion-dollar industry (Entertainment Software Association, 2016). Using social role theory (Eagly, 1987) and role congruity theory (Diekman & Eagly, 2008) as theoretical frameworks, it is proposed that attitudes and beliefs related to traditional gender roles account for differences in the way that games are played and experienced by women compared to men. World of Warcraft (WoW), one of the most popular, best-selling computer games (Entertainment Software Association, 2016), was chosen to investigate gender roles in gaming. Using controlled observations of actual WoW gameplay, the current study (N = 229 observations) examined the amount of negative feedback player characters received from other online players based on the character’s gender and role type. Findings indicated that female characters playing in masculine roles did not receive more negative feedback than comparable male characters in masculine roles, counter to role congruity theory. However, female characters in feminine roles received significantly less negative feedback than female characters in masculine roles. Together, these results suggest that stereotypical gender roles have an impact on gameplay and future research needs to examine the explanatory factors behind this.