"Go to the kitchen and make me a sandwich" : En kvalitativ studie om vad kvinnor får uppleva i onlinespel / "Go to the kitchen and make me a sandwich" : A qualitative study of what women experiences in online games

Studies have shown that women are the most rapidly growing group of consumers for games. A hobby, that for a long period of time has been known as male-dominated, causing controversy with oversexualized female characters as well as prominent negative culture filled with harassment. The times are changing, as target groups are more varied than previously and research is changing its course, instead of assigning certain traits to men and women to distinguishing the intersectional nature of gender. However, it appears that the online gaming culture has stagnated over time, failing to recognize the inclusion of women to its realm. The aim of this study was therefore to examine the female gamers experiences within online games as well as investigate the consequences of the negative game culture. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with female gamers. A thematic analysis was conducted, which resulted in the following themes: (1) Social dynamics in online games, (2) Strategies for managing negative experiences and (3) Consequences of gender-based discrimination. The results have shown that women very much enjoy playing online-games but are met with a lot of negativities in form of harassment. To be able to play in such environment, women have adapted by using different forms of managing strategies. This study contributes insights to the positive and negative factors of online games and their consequences from the perspective of female gamers. As it is discussed, the consequences of the negative game environment are vast but different, for all the players engaging in online games. Ultimately, we provide recommendations on future research.