Nina KielGender In Games

About this book deutschenglish

Digital games attract people of all ages and gender. In the 1970s, pictures of families enjoying them were often used as advertising material and they’re still popular, due to a wide range of party games available. But despite almost half of the gamers being female, the medium is still considered a male-dominated field - an impression that is widely based on marketing campaigns dedicated to a predominantly male target audience.

In this book, the author examines how this perception affects the content of games, reviewing popular titles like “Metroid”, “God of War” and “Bioshock Infinite”. Detailed analyses of “The Legend of Zelda” and “Tomb Raider”, two best-selling series, provide an insight into the way games and their established gender roles might or might not have changed over the years.

Six interview partners, gamers and game makers alike, particularise their thoughts on the two subjects of gaming and gender. Complementing these individual’s impressions, diagrams based on US-American and German statistics illustrate the current economic and demographic trends concerning the gaming industry in these two countries.

Since it provides an introduction to some of the most common gender study theories and a glossary thoroughly explaining the gaming-specific terms used in this book, “Gender In Games” is not only suitable for readers with a strong background in gender and game studies, but for everyone interested in this topic.