Thursday, April 17, 2008
Men vs. Women
An article in the NY Times (posted on brandnoise.typepad.com) talks about a study that was done explaining why men are more addicted and enjoy video games more than women. The study involved 11 males and 11 females who where asked to play a simple video game, requiring that they click the image of a ball as they saw it, while and MRI machine scanned their brain. Results showed that the "part of the brain involved in feelings of reward and addiction becomes much more activated [in men] than it does in women". This helps to bring a new argument to gender in gaming and provides some type of scientific evidence as to why the stereotypes of gamers exist and why men are much more represented in gaming. This somewhat is beneficial as it helps to educate us and helps us to realize that it isn't just men excluding women from the gaming environment, but theres more reason behind it. Though we may not be able to trust the study completely, since the number of participants in the study is pretty small, it's still important to keep the study in consideration.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Weelll....yes and no. These kinds of studies are helpful, like you say because they do show that some stereotypes have some physiological basis (some social theorists hate these kinds of studies, I don't mind them) but, because they are focused on the minutiae of response, they tend to miss certain important points like-- maybe there is a narrative structure out there that WOULD be as addictive or compelling to women: Why isn't that produced? Isn't our money good enough? :) Also a good point that it is a small study.
So, maybe the question goes to the industry structure which is clearly organized, run, designed, etc. by young men. The best counter example is Barbie's Dream House computer game which was the biggest seller for a few years. Not the same as 'shoot 'em ups' but also made money and engaged young girls.
Post a Comment