The UK Female gamer and Massively Multiplayer Games

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The UK Female gamer and Massively Multiplayer
Games

• Aleks Krotoski
• University of Surrey, UK

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• The Female Gamer
• 30-35 years old
• Dedicated or hardcore
• PSX
• Devil May Cry
• Cautious investor

• The UK Female Gamer
• 2nd most dedicated player in Europe
• 8.8 hours per week
• interstitial

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• Boys will introduce you, boys will show you how,
  boys will control the console. Boys tastes will
  dominate until you develop your own. Boys will
  judge your performance. Boys will be your most
  frequent source of competition. Boys will
  misbehave when you beat them.
• p. 59, The ELSPA GameVision Autumn 2003 Report

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Leisure constraints

• Time
• Self-representation
• Self-expression

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Games Girls Likefrom the ELSPA GameVision Autumn
2003 Report

• Devil May Cry
• Ratchet Clank
• Zelda
• Final Fantasy
• Colin McRae Rally
• Resident Evil
• Bust a Move
• FIFA
• The Sims
• Tekken
• also in boys top ten

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What do Women Want?

• A good story
• Rich Characterisation
• Choice
• Freedom to be anyone
• No Goal Fascism
• Personalised approaches
• New unexpected challenges
• Pick-up and play
• Simplistic interface

• Immersion
• Emotional Investment
• Identification with Characters
• Good atmosphere
• Well-balanced pace
• Complex puzzles
• Community
• Familiarity

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What they are The Women who populate them Why
they work
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The Women
Fantasy-based games 12-20 The Sims Online
60 30-35 years old Relationship 70 play
with male partner New mums (Yee, 2002a, 2002b
Lewis, 2004)
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What they are The Women who populate them Why
they work
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Women and the UK Games Industry Presence,
Representations and Effects
Aleks Krotoski University of Surrey, UK