Abstract
An increasing number of books focus on the relationship between gender and gaming. This edited volume is part of a trilogy on the topic. It focuses on women’s representations in video games, their participation in games culture and their contributions to the games industry. Kishonna L Grey, Gerald Voorhees and Emma Vossen argue that prior to #Gamergate, ‘harassment in gaming has been excused, minimized, and outright overlooked as a matter of boys and men too immature to understand the consequences of their vitriol’ (p. 4). However, given that the average age of a gamer is 31, they claim that ‘there is an increased urgency to acknowledge that the normalizing of this behavior is inherent to the patriarchal culture of digital games’ (p. 4) in all their aspects – from the gamers themselves to the representations in the games, the gaming industry and the wider culture. They also point out that ‘history is replete with instances where the rhetoric and ideals of inclusion are contradicted by the very policies and practices intended to instantiate them’ (p. 5). The book is split into three main parts. Part 1, ‘Neither Virgin Nor Vixen: Representations of Women’, includes five chapters that study the depictions of women in games by utilising textual or content analysis. The chapters include a gender analysis of Sierra Titles by Women Designers, a critique of ‘magical feminism’ (p. 37) in BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea; a study into the female voice in games and game cultures; female history in the Nancy Drew series and the sexual politics of video game graphics. Part 2, ‘All Made Up: Gendering Assemblages’, consists of four chapters ‘that each center a different phenomenon or experience that is typically treated as marginal’ (p. 10). The main topics covered in these chapters are: women’s careers in game development, the impact of legislative policies on women game developers in Japan, sexism in World of Warcraft and video game live streaming and its potential risks and benefits for female gamers. The final part, ‘Beyond Feminization: Gaming and Social Futures’, comprises five chapters, which explore ‘future directions for research and feminist intervention in game cultures’ (p. 12). The chapters focus on high-performance, the issue of consent and the so-called ‘magic circle’ in gaming (p. 205), doubt and feminist epistemology, the feminine gaze, and feminism and gameplay performance. All in all, a range of interesting issues are explored in this volume, but it would have been helpful if they were wrapped up in a conclusion.