Stereotypes about female gamers: My thesis topic

Hey everyone!

So, I’m deep in the weeds right now working on my senior thesis, trying to dig into all those tired old stereotypes about women in gaming, and honestly, I’m desperate for more people to take my survey. It’ll only eat up about 10 minutes of your life, but it would seriously be a lifesaver if you could help me out by filling it out 😁

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...rm?usp=sf_link

Done and dusted.

Done.
A bit of an oddball survey, but fine enough.

Nicholas Bailey3 said:Done.
A bit of an oddball survey, but fine enough.

I went ahead and filled it out myself (and even passed it along to a colleague), though honestly, once you get past those first few questions, the whole thing veers off into some completely different topic. I guess the supervisor signed off on it, though.

huge thanks to everyone who's already stepped up <3

Just some thoughts.. 👎 I’m no survey expert, but these feel incredibly biased. I don't get where they even pulled these questions from, or why they’re targeting women specifically?

When playing video games, women need help from men.
????????????????
Wait, men don't need help? Or why wouldn't women need help? Why does gender even matter here?
It's not about gender; it's just about gaming experience and knowing certain genres.

Female gamers can't maintain romantic relationships.
????????????????
A hobby is the reason someone can't stay in a relationship? Okay..

Female gamers aren't in serious/long-term relationships or marriages.
???????????????? 🤣🤣 What kind of trolling is this?

Women are much less successful in competitive video games than men.
That’s just a fact, though I don't see why it belongs in a survey. Just look at any random competitive scene; the ratio of women to men is laughable.

I wanted to finish it, but there were so many stupid assumptions that I couldn't even make it through the whole thing.

It’s focused on women because they're digging into all those deep-seated prejudices and stereotypes out there... if you don't feel the same way, just hit that zero button, why bother?

Jonathan Fowler14 said:Just some thoughts.. 👎 I’m no survey expert, but these feel incredibly biased. I don't get where they even pulled these questions from, or why they’re targeting women specifically?

When playing video games, women need help from men.
????????????????
Wait, men don't need help? Or why wouldn't women need help? Why does gender even matter here?
It's not about gender; it's just about gaming experience and knowing certain genres.

Female gamers can't maintain romantic relationships.
????????????????
A hobby is the reason someone can't stay in a relationship? Okay..

Female gamers aren't in serious/long-term relationships or marriages.
???????????????? 🤣🤣 What kind of trolling is this?

Women are much less successful in competitive video games than men.
That’s just a fact, though I don't see why it belongs in a survey. Just look at any random competitive scene; the ratio of women to men is laughable.

I wanted to finish it, but there were so many stupid assumptions that I couldn't even make it through the whole thing.

Look, these questions aren't actually that weird given the stigma surrounding the {{hobby}}. It went from being seen as something only kids and losers did, to suddenly being viewed as a bunch of misogynistic, racist thugs.

Not exactly a win-win.
But still, I support surveys like this if they actually help dismantle those stereotypes.

Growing up, I was always told there’s no such thing as a stupid question, just really damn stupid answers... ☕

Honestly, those aren't even questions. They’re just statements where you decide how much you agree or disagree.

Nicholas Bailey3 said:Look, these questions aren't actually that weird given the stigma surrounding the {{hobby}}. It went from being seen as something only kids and losers did, to suddenly being viewed as a bunch of misogynistic, racist thugs.

Not exactly a win-win.
But still, I support surveys like this if they actually help dismantle those stereotypes.

Actually, it's quite the opposite; it just highlights them more.

Jonathan Fowler14 said:Just some thoughts.. 👎 I’m no survey expert, but these feel incredibly biased. I don't get where they even pulled these questions from, or why they’re targeting women specifically?

When playing video games, women need help from men.
????????????????
Wait, men don't need help? Or why wouldn't women need help? Why does gender even matter here?
It's not about gender; it's just about gaming experience and knowing certain genres.

Female gamers can't maintain romantic relationships.
????????????????
A hobby is the reason someone can't stay in a relationship? Okay..

Female gamers aren't in serious/long-term relationships or marriages.
???????????????? 🤣🤣 What kind of trolling is this?

Women are much less successful in competitive video games than men.
That’s just a fact, though I don't see why it belongs in a survey. Just look at any random competitive scene; the ratio of women to men is laughable.

I wanted to finish it, but there were so many stupid assumptions that I couldn't even make it through the whole thing.

Totally agree. It feels like the author just has a grudge against Gamer Girls.
Look, I definitely have some stereotypes about women playing video games—just like anyone else does—but nothing like what these questions are implying.
I’d love to jump in and help with actual scientific research, but this doesn't feel scientific; it feels discriminatory.

ruggedcobra12 said:Totally agree. It feels like the author just has a grudge against Gamer Girls.
Look, I definitely have some stereotypes about women playing video games—just like anyone else does—but nothing like what these questions are implying.
I’d love to jump in and help with actual scientific research, but this doesn't feel scientific; it feels discriminatory.

And let's look at the title: “stereotype about women playing video games”. What you're pointing out isn't even a set of survey questions; it's just a list of stereotypes. By taking a SurveyMonkey, you aren't answering research prompts—you're just being asked to agree or disagree with those exact tropes.

Matthew Castillo5 said:And let's look at the title: “stereotype about women playing video games”. What you're pointing out isn't even a set of survey questions; it's just a list of stereotypes. By taking a SurveyMonkey, you aren't answering research prompts—you're just being asked to agree or disagree with those exact tropes.

🤔
Fair point, 👍
! I'm not crazy about the survey because it doesn't quite hit my specific level of stereotypes. But hey, the survey shouldn't be built around me; it needs to work for the whole target group.
Whether they're phrased as questions or just claims, it all leads to the same place.

ruggedcobra12 said:🤔
Fair point, 👍
! I'm not crazy about the survey because it doesn't quite hit my specific level of stereotypes. But hey, the survey shouldn't be built around me; it needs to work for the whole target group.
Whether they're phrased as questions or just claims, it all leads to the same place.

If I can even ask—what other stereotypes about women playing video games are floating around out there that didn't make it into the SurveyMonkey?

Patrick Richardson8 said:If I can even ask—what other stereotypes about women playing video games are floating around out there that didn't make it into the SurveyMonkey?

Hulu,
I’ll drop a few thoughts here and then send more via DM.
I don't really dwell on the whole Gamer Girl thing. And if I'm not thinking about them, how am I supposed to fill out a survey? If they aren't on my mind, I don't even know what biases I have (oops, I struggle to tell the difference between a bias and a stereotype anyway!).
Let me try to come up with an example to show I might have some preconceived notions:
- Picture one woman who is a gamer and another who is a corporate executive... imagine them walking down a street in Chicago and I can tell them apart. Now, say I need to ask one of them for directions to a specific building or street. Which one would I pick? Would I make a distinction? Probably! What would I ask each of them? Like, which one would I ask for the local bike shop, a bakery, a coffee house, or a Chase bank? Which one would I rather meet? Who would I trust with a certain task?

Honestly, this poll is kind of a mess, especially once it starts veering off on the whole video game topic. I’m not even sure what the point is—we all know girls play games, and they play pretty much everything.
Regarding that curve showing women playing less than men... maybe that holds up if you're looking at people who didn't grow up in gaming culture, but I personally know tons of female gamers who crush hard games and absolutely love them. Some of them actually play better than the guys.
Is there stigma? Sure. But honestly, the stigma here isn't really aimed at women. It’s more directed at men and their age. Especially if you’re over 30, even though studies show that most guys gaming today are actually in that 30-to-50 demographic.
It used to be way different; back in the day, we were playing from age 4 or 6 or 8 and onwards. And those of us who played usually stuck with it as a hobby. I’ve also met plenty of girls who grew up playing video games with their sisters when they were little, and they remember those games so well that they're actually better at Multiplayer than I am. Though, they aren't necessarily better at Singleplayer, nor will they ever be. If I find one, I'll let you know. For now, my reflexes haven't gone totally dull at 30; my timing is still pinpoint accurate.

Patrick Patel4 said:Honestly, this poll is kind of a mess, especially once it starts veering off on the whole video game topic. I’m not even sure what the point is—we all know girls play games, and they play pretty much everything.
Regarding that curve showing women playing less than men... maybe that holds up if you're looking at people who didn't grow up in gaming culture, but I personally know tons of female gamers who crush hard games and absolutely love them. Some of them actually play better than the guys.
Is there stigma? Sure. But honestly, the stigma here isn't really aimed at women. It’s more directed at men and their age. Especially if you’re over 30, even though studies show that most guys gaming today are actually in that 30-to-50 demographic.
It used to be way different; back in the day, we were playing from age 4 or 6 or 8 and onwards. And those of us who played usually stuck with it as a hobby. I’ve also met plenty of girls who grew up playing video games with their sisters when they were little, and they remember those games so well that they're actually better at Multiplayer than I am. Though, they aren't necessarily better at Singleplayer, nor will they ever be. If I find one, I'll let you know. For now, my reflexes haven't gone totally dull at 30; my timing is still pinpoint accurate.

The wife just wants to graduate. It's really not that deep.

If you filter out the girls playing those match-3 games, there aren't actually many left ☕

Psychology tells us:
If you don't mind me asking—are there any other stereotypes or biases regarding female gamers that you hold which weren't covered in the survey?

You can't really ask a question like that. If someone actually holds deep-seated prejudices, they usually aren't even aware they're doing it. It’s just how the brain works.
Anyway, there’s plenty of discussion on this stuff online if you want to fall down a rabbit hole. Here are a couple of random articles from some US outlets that touch on it: https://www.womensmedia.com/gamer-girls-sexualization/
https://leadersmedia.com/features/discussion-on-gaming-bias/