In June I submitted an abstract for possible publication in a book about Females and Video Game Modding, to be released in January 2018. Here is the abstract:
Abstract
In 2015, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) published its annual report on the state of the gaming industry. Out of the 155 million Americans that play video games, 44% are females. Additionally, 41% of all game purchases are made by female gamers. Despite these ever-growing numbers, an exploration of the video game landscape displays a disturbing amount of games produced for the straight, white male. Female characters are drastically underrepresented and normally appear in sexually suggestive clothing and positions. Since game developers choose to ignore them, female gamers have taken to modding characters to create ones they desire to play. In an effort to examine the evolution of the female modding community, this ethnographic study presents the findings from a series of interviews that address three factors that led to the development of the female modding community. First, how the buying power of the female gaming consumer is not reflected in the severe lack of strong, female protagonists in many commercially successful games; second, how the female characters in many commercially successful game are used as currency or for sexual exploitation; and finally, how the superiority belief of the male gaming community disparages their female gamer counterparts. The results of this study will indicate that female gamers mod because they prefer to play as female characters, although the relatability of the character does not influence the character choice in a game. Female gamers also mod as a method of proving their skill set to male gamers, who perceive females to be not as skilled as their male counterparts. The female modding community offers a “safe space” for women to express their creativity, free from the misogyny that is prevalent in gaming communities dominated by men. These cadres allow female gamers to invoke an independent spirit that will hopefully change the narrative of other major game designers by exclaiming, “If you aren’t talented enough to create a well-developed female protagonist, then I will create her myself.”
I found out in the beginning of August that my abstract was selected; so now I have until Summer 2017 to collect data and write my chapter. I plan to conduct an ethnographic study and write this like a quantitative research paper that could possibly be submitted to other scientific journals. The hard part? Now I have to collect the data. I plan to conduct interviews with as many female modders as possible, to get their perspective on this topic. Once I garner enough interviews, I will collect the data and turn it into a delicious 3 tiered cake of knowledge.
I’ve posted a thread on a Skyrim Reddit community as a start. I’ve also posted this to my Twitter feed and to any other social media I can think of. Once I have the data, then I will start analyzing it and start creating my outline. If you haven’t filled out my ethnographic survey, please do so. If you know someone who might be interested, please send it off to them. The more people I can reach, the more in depth I can be with my publication.
Instructional Design by Don Becker 