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Gender Stereotypes In Gaming Culture

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How do female gamers navigate the world of gaming culture today? When, so often, that culture is against them. Why are women, for the most part, being ignored and excluded by mainstream game developers? How did gaming culture come to be what it is today? A culture containing sexism and negative as well as stereotypical representations of women. What is a gamer? What is gaming culture? These questions can be answered in the context of game design studies. Gaming culture itself can be seen as a game. In this context, Game Design Schemas can be applied to gaming culture (Tekinbaş). There are “rules” about how gamers interact with one another and who a “gamer” can be. There are specific ways to “play” and navigate this world. Gaming and the people involved are participants in a subculture, so there is the cultural aspect of this world. In this culture, women have been and continue to be excluded, harassed and over all misrepresented to detrimental ends.
Rules:
What are the rules of “gaming culture?” From my research and own personal experiences I have realized that the biggest rule of gaming is no girls allowed or if there are …show more content…
Amber Dalton, aka “Athena Twin” is a former professional gamer. She started a gaming clan, along with her sister, called PMS Clan. The clan was started after the launch of Xbox live and creation of the xbox headset. Dalton and her sister would play online and identify other female players. Amber Dalton stated that her initial reasoning for starting the clan was “just for the fun of some girls kicking butt together” (Girl Gamer Interview). This reasoning changed as sexism grew among online gaming communities...“However, once Xbox Live grew and the mass influx of harassment and sexism started, we knew we needed to refocus our mission to providing a safe and positive competitive environment for female gamers” (Girl Gamer

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