How a video game’s gender diversity and social environment create different experiences for male and female players – Case Valorant
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Journal Title
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Volume Title
School of Business |
Master's thesis
Authors
Date
2023
Department
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Global Management
Language
en
Pages
91
Series
Abstract
The video game industry has rapidly grown to become a global phenomenon that is valued at over $200 billion and is not only intended for a male audience, as it has historically been developed for. The rise of esports with video games has also enhanced the idea that only a certain group plays or can play video games, as esports has become a visible platform to attract players to a video game. Researchers have found that the video game audience is more diverse than it is generally perceived to be, with 50% of players being female. These players are left undetected and underserved, which poses a great market potential for current and future gaming companies. More intricate research on what in-game elements and social elements can create a more inclusive game for genders is understudied. This study explores how gender diversity elements, such as in-game characters, competitiveness, and playstyle offerings, have an impact on male and female players. As gaming is also increasingly social, this study also examines the social side. This study examines whether diversity in the player’s social environment, both close social circles and larger social settings, can create different experiences for male and female players. The context for this study is an online video game Valorant, which is a competitive team game. The study primarily collects data through ten semi-structured interviews with Valorant players, where four are females and six are males. Grounded theory is primarily used as a qualitative study method. While the theory is used to support the study, a new theoretical framework is developed with the findings of the study. Findings show that game character diversity is more important for both male and female players during the initial stages of their engagement with the video game. In these preliminary stages, neither gender appears to prioritize strategic facets of gameplay, instead opting to value the extent to which the characters reflect their own identities. Females reflect directly on their identity, while males have more wishful identification. Additionally, female gender identity is more strongly present. Other key findings indicate how defensive playstyles attract more female players, while male players have many playstyles and do not have one clear playstyle that is more attractive. Socially, female players are in a less advantageous position, as unknown players create an unfriendly environment for females. Female players are also less confident in their own skills resulting in differing gaming experiences compared to males. However, female representation in social media and esports encourages female players to play more. Overall, this study provides findings of what elements impact the male and female players in terms of the game’s gender diversity and social environment.Description
Thesis advisor
Kähäri, PerttuNiittymies, Aleksi
Keywords
video games, gender diversity, social environment of games, esports, game characters, consumer behavior