Newswise — Erin Davis, associate professor of sociology at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, will give an online talk about women and strategy boardgames starting at noon CDT on Tuesday, April 21.
Based on qualitative interviews with women gamers, her talk explores the experiences and insights of women who participate in strategy boardgaming. Strategy gaming is a male dominated leisure activity in terms of both higher levels of male participation and perceived male advantages due to the intellectual, competitive, and confrontational nature of the activity.
However, men gamers are not typically hostile to women gamers, and in fact, men regularly seek advice on gaming forums on how to get their female partners more interested in gaming. Simultaneously, women may be perceived as lacking the interest or the ability to be competitive participants. Due to this perception, women who identify as gamers are often underestimated or overlooked at the game table.
This research explores the various factors, both internal and external, that limit women’s participation as well as structural, cultural, and interpersonal changes that could help to create a more inclusive environment.
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