Holland Logtenberg, & Dr. Lindsey Trimble O’Connor
Since the advent of video games in the 1970s, men have dominated the field of play. Past research has established that the male-oriented landscape has created a field wherein women are less likely to identify as video game players– or gamers–than men. However, this research has not explored how the type of video game– such as singleplayer, cooperative, or multiplayer games– may moderate the relationship between gender and gamer identity. My research question asks if men are more likely to identify as gamers than women, and does gameplay style moderate this relationship? I hypothesize that men will identify as gamers more than women, but when comparing gameplay styles, women will have a higher likelihood of identifying as gamers when playing multiplayer or co-operative games than singleplayer games, whereas men will show no difference between gamestyles . Using the 2013 survey “The Civic Network,” I conducted secondary data analysis on a sample of 3,887 men and women between the ages of 16-29. Of the participants, 3,236 respondents identified as video game players in some capacity and thus were utilized for this research. Utilizing multiple T-tests and ANOVA analyses, I found that men were more likely to identify as gamers than women. I also found that there was a significant relationship between gameplay style and gamer identity. Regardless of gender, respondents showed a higher likelihood of identifying as gamers when participating in multiplayer or co-operative games than when playing singleplayer games. This research suggests that there are factors beyond gender that may moderate willingness to identify as a gamer, such as interactivity with other players, the ways in which interactivity occurs, and how gameplay is taking place. Further research should be conducted to explore how other factors may shape gendered interaction and involvement with video games and gamer identity.