Representations of Gender and Sexuality in Farming Simulation Role Playing Games: a comparative analysis of Stardew Valley (2016) and Coral Island (2022)

Abstract

Objectives

The main objectives of this study were to explore the representations of gender and sexuality in farming simulation role playing games (FSRPGs). Furthermore, it aimed to examine whether there have been improvements in the way those concepts were portrayed over the years in the genre by comparing the chosen two case studies.

Summary

There have been calls to increase representation of gender and sexuality but in a male-dominated industry, this appears to be challenging. To explore representations, Stardew Valley (2016) and Coral Island (2022) were played and formally analyzed for a total of 200 hours. There were four playthroughs for both games in total, with one being played by a male player character and the other by the female player character in each game.

Conclusions

Findings show that gender roles, stereotypes and performativity is still utilized to portray gender and sexuality in the genre. However, in general, the representations of these concepts are significantly better in FSRPGs when compared to other genres. When comparing results from the case studies, it also indicated there have been progress in the portrayal of these concepts over the years. All this suggest that there are many potentials for women and LGBTQ+ community to proliferate in the industry.