Female Gamers Research Articles

Examining How Sex Appeal Cues and Strength Cues Influence Impressions of Female Video Game Characters

Sexualization is a prominently studied dimension of how media content contributes to problematic outcomes for women (e.g., self-objectification). In video game contexts, scholars have debated whether portrayals of powerful characters may disrupt undesirable outcomes of sexual objectification. In two studies, we experimentally manipulated sex appeal cues and strength cues in female characters. Participants reported their impressions in terms of key person perception outcomes and liking of the characters. We also aimed to understand how interactivity shapes impression formation by comparing viewing (Study 1) to playing (Study 2) contexts. Results indicated that sex appeal cues and strength cues interacted to shape character impressions but did so differently depending on the type of interaction participants had with the character. In both studies, sexual appeal cues produced greater disliking of the characters. Our discussion considers the findings with respect to character design in video games and other media entertainment.

HUBUNGAN PARENTAL-PEER ATTACHMENT DENGAN SELF-ESTEEM PADA PEMAIN INTERNET GAMING

There are many internet-based activities, one of which is internet gaming, which, at a certain level of frequency, can lead individuals to internet addiction. This research, conducted with meticulous attention to detail, aims to determine the relationship between parental-peer attachment and self-esteem as two factors that are closely related to internet addiction behavior. The study was meticulously conducted on 38 young adult male and female internet gaming players using the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment-Revised (IPPA-R) and the Self-Esteem Scale (SES). Data were rigorously analyzed using one-tailed Spearman statistical analysis. The results show a positive relationship between Parental-Peer Attachment and Self-Esteem in internet gaming players. The alienation dimension in Mother, Father, and Peer Attachment has the most significant relationship. Self-competence and Self-liking dimensions have a negative relationship, so that these two dimensions will decrease or increase if one dimension experiences a decrease or increase. Further studies on the other psychological factors that underly internet gaming behavior potentially support the prevention of addiction.

Picture a Scientist—Diverse Role Models Show that Science is for Everyone

Who do you picture when you think of the word “scientist”? Do you fit that image? Although science should be for everyone, some groups, including girls, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, and more are often discouraged from becoming scientists. Research shows that girls in particular start to lose interest in pursuing science careers during middle school. But part of the problem for every group is that you cannot be what you cannot see. So how do we change who students picture as scientists? We tested whether a playful STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) program that uses comic books, trading cards featuring a variety of female role models, games, and outdoor exploration could change students’ minds. Our data shows that after the In Their Eyes: Conservation + Comics program, more students think that girls can be scientists, too!

How violence among consumers alters the expected benefits of participation in a consumer collective

AbstractIn a consumer society, collective consumption is key to maintaining sociality. However, violence among consumers not only thwarts the benefits of participating in consumer collectives, but also reduces sociality and causes various types of harm. In this study, we investigate the League of Legends gaming community to examine interconsumer violence targeting female gamers and how the mistreatment they experience alters the benefits they derive from being part of the collective. Our exploratory study, based on consumer interviews and auto‐ethnographic findings, contributes to the literature on consumer collectives, consumer culture, and gender marketing. Specifically, our data highlight three categories of benefits altered by interconsumer violence—utilitarian, social, and symbolic—each composed of related subcategories. We explain how these benefits are altered by interconsumer violence. We also offer practical recommendations for consumers, community managers, and policymakers to address this phenomenon.

The Effect of Sleep on the Health and Dietary Behaviours of GAA Athletes.

Decreased sleep quality and duration is associated with an array of negative health outcomes. Evidence suggests athletes are susceptible to sleep inadequacies that may in turn affect their health and dietary behaviours. This study aimed to explore the sleep profile of both male and female Gaelic games players, at an elite and sub-elite level and compare how poor sleep relates to subjective health complaints and food cravings. One hundred and seventy Gaelic games players completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Subjective Health Complaints Inventory (SHC) and Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait-Reduced (FCQ-T-r). Participants were categorised into two groups: poor sleepers (PSQI ≥ 5) and good sleepers (PSQI < 5). Outcome measures of health and food cravings were analysed across the groups, Mann-Whitney U tests were used to assess differences, and Spearman's rank-order correlations were used to determine relationships between variables. Sixty-seven % of athletes were categorised as poor sleepers. There were no significant differences in PSQI scores across genders (p = 0.088) or playing level (p = 0.072). Poor sleepers experienced significantly increased SHC (p < 0.001) and female athletes had significantly more SHC compared to males (p < 0.001). Female athletes experienced more food cravings than males (p = 0.013). However, there were no significant differences in food cravings between good and poor sleepers (p = 0.104). The findings suggest a high prevalence of poor sleepers amongst GAA athletes. Furthermore, a significant relationship exists between poor sleep and health complaints with females at a higher risk of worsened health complaints and higher food cravings. Sleep screening and education interventions to enhance sleep in GAA athletes are advocated.

Designing a Female Hero Educational Game using Adobe Animate and the ADDIE Method

Designing a Female Hero Educational Game using Adobe Animate and the ADDIE Method

The Playing Motivations of Male and Female Gamers and the Effects of Stereotypes on Their Motivations in Honor of Kings

Introduction Honor of Kings (HoK) is one of the most popular mobile games worldwide. To understand why players actively engage with digital games, it is essential to focus on their gaming motivations. However, no previous studies were found to have investigated the kinds and depth of players’ motivations in this game. Moreover, the empirical research concerning the impact of stereotype threat and lift on players’ motivations is scant. Thus, this pre-registered study aims to examine male and female players’ gaming motivations in Honor of Kings and the effects of stereotypes on players’ motivations. Methods This study utilized Yee et al. (2012)’s motivational model. A 2 × 3 MANCOVA was performed for the outcome variables of achievement, social, and immersion motivations; with gender and stereotype activation (no activation, female, and male threat activation) as independent variables; and with age and gaming time as covariates (n = 421). Results Contrary to prevalent perceptions, the results suggested females had higher achievement and immersion motivations, but lower social motivation than males in Honor of Kings. Unexpectedly, only females’ immersion motivation was impaired under stereotype threat, and females demonstrated lower social motivation under stereotype lift. However, males were not affected by either stereotype threat or stereotype lift. Discussion The results suggest that caution is needed for the assumption that male gamers are more achievement-oriented and females are more social-oriented because their motivations may vary depending on game genres. This study also found unexpected effects of stereotype threat and lift. Future research should further explore how to implement stereotype activation effectively to promote gender equality in gaming. Notably, this study only recruited participants from China due to the restrictions of recruitment channels. Future researchers are highly recommended to examine whether there are cross-cultural differences in the findings of this study.

(083) Visual Attention, Affective, and Sexual Responses Toward a Sexualized Video Game Female Character

Abstract Introduction Psychological models theorizing human sexual response have consistently stressed the role of cognitive factors, namely attention to sexual cues, as a precursor of sexual arousal. Specifically, laboratory studies have focused on (visual)attention as a trigger and maintenance factor of sexual arousal and interest; these studies suggest that sexual stimuli, e.g., stimuli displaying human-realistic nudity and/or sexual intercourse, capture more attention, prompting a sexual response. These studies have settled the basis for psychological interventions in sexual dysfunctions. However, contemporary generations were (sexually)educated and are a product of the digital era, where human-realistic sexual stimuli are no longer the only features people use to induce a sexual response. Female video game characters have “ascended” to the status of sexual stimuli. Animated sexual features are replacing human-realistic ones to induce a sexual response. Yet, sexology research still supports its assumptions on people’s responses to “old fashion” sexual stimuli. Objective Given the lack of laboratory studies using animated sexual features as a frame to study human sexual response - being, therefore, aligned to current preferences regarding what constitutes a sexual stimulus – the current study was aimed at testing the effects of being exposed to a sexualized as compared to a non-sexualized female video game character on men’s (visual)attention, affective and sexual responses. It further tested if the propensity to get sexually aroused predicts men’s responses to sexually animated cues. Methods 46 men (Mage = 25, SD = 8.71) were exposed to the following 2-minute video clips/experimental conditions: 1) a sexualized female video game character, i.e., the character is fighting against a non-human male character, using nothing more than a tie, short bikini; 2) a non-sexualized female character fighting, and wearing a common, practical, outfit, with no evidence of nudity. The video clips were presented in a counterbalanced fashion. The female characters were equal, except for the woman’s clothing and display of nudity. Objective proxies of sexual arousal and interest were captured by an eye tracker (pupil size and dwell time to the sexual features, respectively). Self-reported attention, affective, and sexual responses were also measured. Furthermore, the propensity for sexual excitation was included as a trait sexual dimension. Results As expected, participants reported being more distracted and sexually aroused during the sexualized experimental condition. Similarly, ocular metrics revealed that during the sexualized condition, participants paid less attention to the game/dangerous cues and spent more time looking at the woman’s body and buttocks. No effects were found regarding pupil size. Findings regarding sexual excitation as a sexual trait showed that the propensity to get sexually aroused predicted increased visual attention, i.e., more interest, to the buttocks of the sexualized female character. Conclusions Findings suggest that sexualized female video game characters mimic the effects of human-realistic sex stimuli. Findings add to the understanding of cognitive and emotional processes involved in the human sexual response considering the new trends regarding what constitutes sexual stimuli. They further contribute to the discussion on sexual preferences diversity, with a special emphasis on the current digital culture. Disclosure No.

Evidence of Ambivalent Sexism in Female Video Game Character Designs

ABSTRACT This report shares the results of a systematic, quantitative analysis of themes resonant with ambivalent sexism in playable female video game characters. Applying principles of ambivalent sexism’s underlying concepts of paternalism, compulsory heterosexuality, and gender differentiation, we developed a coding scheme for assessing themes in character personalities, stories, and other aspects of their characterizations. We sampled games developed in Japan and the United States released between 1983 and 2017 (N = 398) and derived data from primary texts (i.e. video game content) and paratexts (i.e. character wiki entries). Our results provide evidence of sexist portrayals for playable characters. Evidence of sexist portrayals emerged with meaningful associations observed among theoretically relevant concepts (i.e. capability, sexualization, development location). We discuss our findings with respect to ambivalent sexism theory and the sociocultural contexts of video game development in Japan and the United States.

Exploring Pattern Mining with FCM Algorithm for Predicting Female Athlete Behaviour in Sports Analytics

In the changing field of sports analytics, examining and predicting athlete behaviour is crucial for improving performance and reaching the best results. As data analysis becomes more important in sports, using pattern mining methods is critical to discovering meaningful patterns and trends in the large datasets used in sports analysis. This study proposes a Performance Optimization Framework for Female Athletes (POFFA) that explores the field of sports analytics to examine how pattern mining methods, explicitly using the Flexible Fuzzy C-Means (FFCM) algorithm, can help predict female athlete behaviour. This study aims to offer detailed insights into behavioural patterns that can help improve coaching techniques, training schedules, and performance improvement procedures by concentrating on female athletes. The study intends to provide a deep understanding of female athlete behaviour and game dynamics using the FCM approach, known for its effectiveness in dealing with complex, sparse, multi-objective optimization difficulties. The results of this study can enhance the field of sports analysis by providing detailed insights into the behavioural patterns displayed by female players in many sports categories. By combining pattern mining methods with the FCM algorithm, this study introduces a thorough process for examining and predicting athlete behaviour in sports analytics. In the end, the results of this study have practical significance for coaches, trainers, and sports professionals, offering helpful advice for improving the performance of female athletes in competitive sports settings. By using data-driven insights from pattern mining analyses, individuals in the sports business can improve their plans and interventions to enhance female athletes' athletic potential and overall performance results.

Invitations Within and Beyond the Fictitious World: An LDA Discourse Analysis of Female Game Preferences in Chinese CMC Forums

Throughout the conventionally masculine video game culture worldwide, the existing literature on video game preferences mainly focuses on the West, overlooking Chinese female gamers, who make up the largest female gamer population globally. This study aims to explore their preferences by analyzing responses from four female-exclusive video game forums. Using the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) Topic Model, 1321 responses were analyzed, extracting females’ preferences into six dimensions: characters, design, genre, narrative, engagement, and experience. This multifaceted research offers preliminary insights into female gaming experience. Our findings highlight the evolving portrayal and preference of game characters, a complex interplay between aesthetic appeal, genre, and the intriguing relationship between game narratology and empathy. The study further explores how narrative structures in video games can evoke empathy, and advance understanding of females’ engagement and flow experience in the virtual world, challenging conventional assumptions and expanding the understanding of player interaction with digital media.

“You’re Too Pretty to Be a Challenge Runner”: Changing “Gamers” in an Age of Live Streaming

Persistent misogyny in video gaming spaces has motivated calls for broader recognition of female players and the development of protective, welcoming spaces. Yet even recognition of female gamers remains elusive. By allowing individuals to broadcast themselves playing games, Twitch has greatly enhanced the visibility of players, including high-skill, hard-core female gamers developing dedicated viewer audiences. This study investigates the community management of female streamers who focus on high-skill “challenge running” and participate in hard-core challenge run communities. Regularly encountering online misogyny, these streamers have developed four distinct strategies in reply: overcoming antagonistic audiences, capturing audience emotion, anticipating antagonism, and combating misogyny through humor and recontextualization. Streamers learn to anticipate negative, misogynistic attention and, in collaboration with supportive viewers, creatively transform it into positive channel content for their benefit. By visibly challenging games and antagonistic viewers alike, these streamers provide new methods for responding to misogyny in online gaming spaces.

Analysing substitutions in recent World Cups and European Championships in male and female elite football - influence of new substitution rules.

Substitutions play a key role in modern football and can substantially affect the physical and overall performance of a team, and the recent substitution rule changes are worth investigating. This study explored the characteristics of substitutions, including different substitution rules, game results, sex, competition stages, tournaments and penalty shoot-outs success rates. We analysed data from a total of 3,738 substitutions from the last 10 years (2013-2023) of European Championships and World Cups, both men's and women's games. Non-parametric tests and chi-square tests were used for statistical analysis with the significance level set at p < 0.05. With the 5-substitution rule, 48% more substitutions occurred compared to the 3-substitution rule (4.26 ± 1.07 vs. 2.87 ± 0.43, p < 0.05) with a slight increase in the average substitution time (70.6 ± 14.3 vs. 69.2 ± 14.6 min, p < 0.05), and 10% more substitutions in the men's game compared to the women's game (p < 0.05). The timing of the first substitution was slightly different in the knock-out stage compared to group stage (59.8 ± 14.7 vs. 57.2 ± 13.3 min, p < 0.05), and the timing for the winning team and drawing team was later than for the losing team (p < 0.05). A total of 13.2% goals were scored by substitutes, with no significant difference between the 5-substitution rule (15.9%) vs the 3-substition rule (12.5%) (p > 0.05). Interestingly, substitute players had a lower success rate in penalty shoot-out compared to starters (61 vs. 74%, p < 0.05). Additionally, substitute player goal scorers entered the pitch later (p < 0.05) in male games compared to female games and in knock-out stage games compared to group games. This study highlights the importance of substitution rules and timing in modern elite football matches. The timing of the first substitution, introduction of substitutes in knock-out stages, and a lower success rate of substitute players in penalty shoot-outs are crucial factors to consider. Coaches can use this information to make strategic substitution decisions to improve team performance.

Navigating the Court: A Comparison of Distance Demands between Sexes in Grand Slam Tennis.

This study analysed critical movement demands of tennis match-play to better inform contemporary approaches to athlete preparation and training. HawkEye data from matches during the 2021 and 2022 Australian Open were utilised. Distance was aggregated for movement cycles, points, games, sets, and matches, alongside total shots played. Data was collated for males (best-of-five sets) and females (best-of-three sets) allowing comparisons both within and between sexes. Overall, no differences within sexes were evident for total distance, however males traversed further per match than females (MDE = 809 ± 139m, ES = 0.86). Female players travelled further in their deciding (third) sets compared to set 1 (ES = 0.28) and while this effect wasn't as discernible for males, the deciding (fifth) set showed some evidence of elevated distance requirements and variability. Between sexes, only female set 3 was different to male set 3 (ES = 0.29). Female and male tiebreak games (i.e. game 13) required players travel further distance compared to other games (ES = ~1.45). Between sex differences were observed for tiebreak games compared to games 1 to 12 (female ES = 1.36 and male ES = 1.53). Players from both sexes generally covered similar distances during points and movement cycles, with between-shot distances of 4.2m-4.5m, notably longer than previous reports. Further, total shots and total match distance (r > 0.97; p < 0.01) shared similar linear relationships. These results highlight that the between shot or movement cycle demands of professional hard court tennis are substantially higher than described in the literature (Roetert et al., 2003). The findings also reveal competitiveness as a key influence on set level distance demands during professional tennis match-play, a consideration in player preparation programs.

Female basketball game performance is influenced by menstrual cycle phase, age, perceived demands and game-related contextual factors

ABSTRACTThis study evaluated the influence of physical and perceived game demands, menstrual cycle phase, perceived recovery, individual and game-related contextual factors on competitive performance in professional, female basketball players.11 professional female players (age: 20.6 ± 2.7 years) were monitored for game-related statistics (Performance Index Rating, PIR; rebounds, REB; effective field goal %, eFG%; turnovers, TO), objective (PlayerLoad per minute, PL·min−1) and subjective (RPE) game loads, pre-game perceived recovery (Total Quality Recovery, TQRpre), menstrual phase (follicular; luteal) and game-related contextual factors (game location; game outcome; score differential; opponent level) during 12 official games. Separate linear mixed models were used to evaluate the influence of RPE, PL·min−1, TQRpre, menstrual phase, contextual factors, and individual characteristics (age; playing position) on game-related statistics.Higher PIR and eFG% were found for older players and those who reported higher RPE (all p < 0.05). Higher age also led to less TO (p = 0.042). eFG% was higher when players reported higher TQRpre ;(p = 0.010). Better shooting (eFG%) and rebounding (REB) performances were found during the follicular menstrual phase (p < 0.05). More REB were collected in won games (p = 0.002).This study suggests that the co-influences of perceptual, menstrual-related, individual and game-related contextual factors should be considered to optimise female basketball players’ performance.

The Role of Self-Control Dimensions, Game Motivation, Game Genre, and Game Platforms in Gaming Disorder: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Findings.

Gaming disorder (GD) is the result of an interplay between gaming-related factors, individual factors, and environmental factors. Current research primarily highlights single types of factors. Consequently, the present study simultaneously analyzed the role of individual factors, such as self-control dimensions and motives for gaming, and gaming-related factors, such as game genres, and gaming platforms in GD among female and male gamers. Additionally, the study provides a comprehensive analysis of these factors in relation to GD both cross-sectionally (Study 1) and longitudinally (Study 2). Study 1 comprised 620 active gamers (M=22.16 years; SD=2.99), and Study 2 comprised 405 active gamers (M=28.05 years; SD=4.51). The instruments used in the studies included the Gaming Disorder Test, the nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Short-Form (IGDS9-SF), Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire, Video Game Questionnaire, and Self-Knowledge New Sheet. The results showed that GD was associated with (i) self-control deficits associated with difficulties in implementation control and taking actions related to goals without unnecessary delay, (ii) retaining information about intentions and long-term plans, (iii) refraining from immediate, impulsive behavior, and (iv) inhibiting emotional reactions. GD was also associated primarily with escape, coping, and competition motives for gaming. However, the longitudinal study showed that social, fantasy, and skill-development motives were also related to GD development over time. The action game genres associated with GD but were not very important for GD over time. The cross-sectional study results indicated a negative relationship between GD and tablets and consoles used as gaming platforms. However, the longitudinal study showed that desktop computers and consoles use as gaming platforms were associated with the GD over time. Moreover, gaming-related factors explained only 9% of the variance in the GD model among female gamers and only 10% of the variance in the GD model among male gamers in cross-sectional study. In contrast, individual factors such as self-control dimensions and gaming motivation explained 32% of the variance in the GD model among both female and male gamers. Individual factors, such as self-control dimensions and motives for gaming, were more important in explaining GD than gaming-related factors, such as game genres and gaming platforms. Moreover, self-control deficits and motivation related to escape, coping and competence can be important factors to consider in the prevention and treatment of GD.

Discourse and Action: Female Players Resistance Against Gender Inequality in Games Through Social Media

In patriarchal gaming culture, female gamers have limited space for discourse. The establishment of the Female Gamers Association provides a new channel for female gamers to resist male hegemony in both games and reality through game sharing and discourse criticism. Therefore, this paper tries to explore how female gamers confront male discourses and build their identities through a series of discursive practices around games and gender on social media. This paper analyzes the posts from the Female Gamers Association group on the social media platform Douban and uses online ethnography for further observation. The study finds that although female gamers have formed a new discursive space and resisted the mainstream gaming environment by creating their own communities, there are still limitations to this resistance, and the active resistance of female gamers also contains elements of passive submission. The study of the Female Gamers Association provides a clearer understanding of the complexities of female gamers in a male-dominated virtual space and their agency in the face of pressure.

Analysis of Spatial Offensive Performance in Handball: Differences between Men's and Women's Senior World Championships.

The aim of this study was to carry out a descriptive analysis of the main performance variables of national teams that competed in the Men's (Germany-Denmark 2019) and Women's (Germany 2017) senior handball World Cups, and to compare the spatial offensive performance indices of laterality and depth according to the gender of players, considering for this purpose the total number of throws made according to the finishing area. A documentary study was carried out based on the total number of throws made in 192 male and 154 female games of 48 national teams belonging to 33 countries, which participated in previous World Cups. The data were collected from the International Handball Federation (IHF) statistics. The results showed that the areas from which the highest number of shots were taken in both World Cups were the central and shallow areas of the field. Several gender differences were observed. More specifically, male teams made much more attempts from the left side area than female teams (data), who finished from the right side (data). The depth index reflected that, although the dominant execution by gender was from deep offensive zones, men's teams finished more often from the 1st offensive line, while female teams finished from the 2nd offensive line. This information will be useful for coaches in designing training tasks and for players in improving decision making.

Development and validation of the Female Gamer Stereotypes Scale.

Development and validation of the Female Gamer Stereotypes Scale.

Relationships of internet gaming engagement, history, and maladaptive cognitions and adolescent internet gaming disorder: A cross-sectional study.

This study tested the mediation effect of maladaptive cognition of internet gaming and moderation effect of internet gaming history in the relationship between internet gaming engagement and internet gaming disorder in adolescents. A total of 2,902 secondary school students were surveyed in Hong Kong from February 2021 to December 2021. The proposed moderated mediation model was tested by PROCESS. Internet gaming engagement, internet gaming history and maladaptive cognition were positively associated with internet gaming disorder symptoms. Maladaptive cognition significantly mediated the association between internet gaming engagement and internet gaming disorder symptoms in both males and females. In addition, a significant interaction between internet gaming engagement and internet gaming history was detected among females but not for males, namely, the positive relationships of internet gaming engagement with maladaptive cognition and internet gaming disorder symptoms were weaker with the increased years of internet gaming. Our study provides a better understanding of the underlying mechanism and boundary condition in the association between internet gaming engagement and internet gaming disorder among adolescents. Preventing interventions should aim to reduce maladaptive cognition and internet gaming engagement. Interventions targeting internet gaming engagement maybe more effective among female gamers who are beginners and all male gamers.