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Friday, 15 September 2006

Researcher points out gender gap in video games When Laurie Taylor plays an online game, she wants people to see her as different — the woman with a fat, ugly avatar. “If given the choice, I’d rather play an ugly fat woman that an attractive one,” she said Tuesday to a full audience in the Idaho Commons Whitewater Room. Taylor, 28, who researches video games and digital media at the University of Florida as the managing editor of the journal ImageTexT, was one of several speakers addressing video games as part of the year-long “Power of Play” program organized by University of Idaho Humanities Fellows Candida Gillis and Debbie Storrs. The program includes 23 faculty members researching interdisciplinary approaches to play. “Play has the potential and the power to transform and make better our professions,” Gillis said. “We’re looking at play in the classroom, play in teaching and play to help engage research and scholarship.” And one facet of that play is how players perceive gender through it, the subject of Taylor’s presentation. She received her doctorate in digital media from UF, where she focused on interfaces and horror games. Currently, she’s looking at accessibility in games. “… For different learning styles, or if you only have one hand or are blind, how do you play a game?” Taylor asked. On Tuesday, however, her attention was occupied by gender and appearance in video games.  The few female video game characters are typically weak and only good as supporting characters, she said. But one female character broke this mold. “Samus was the first girl character I ever got to play and is one of the most interesting characters ever created,” she said. The heroine of the game “Metroid,” Samus was referred to as a “he” in the advertising and manual for the original game. Only at the end of the game was she revealed as a woman. “It’s a shock to see at the end that such a strong character is really a woman,” Taylor said. Unlike Samus’ concealing body armor, she said, many female characters display ever more unrealistic standards. “Why don’t we have large asses instead of big breasts?” Taylor asked. Those standards are not limited to avatars. Taylor said she thinks the gaming industry has many problems in terms of gender equity. While game designers are rarely recognized, for example, female designers are less so. And games need a wider variety of aesthetic styles, she said. Other “Power of Play” speakers addressed recreating medieval times and contemporary capitalism. The next speaker series will feature “PeaceMaker,” a computer game simulating the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians. Eric Brown from Carnegie Mellon University will demonstrate the game from 7-9 p.m. Oct. 9 in the College of Law Courtroom. Add as favorites (23) | Views: 492 Be first to comment this article Write Comment Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code. Name: Title: Comment: