Review Of Article Doing Gender In Cyberspace - Essay Example

Review Of Article Doing Gender In Cyberspace Lina Eklund of the Stockholm University in Sweden did an in-depth study and critical analysis of the reasons behind why female World of Warcraft players choose to play a certain gender in the hugely popular MMORPG. Through personal and Skype interviews with various female players of the game using the phenomenological approach, Eklund sought to discover if there was a gender or social expectation basis behind the way that these players develop their online alter egos. Since the players she interviewed were women who chose to play female avatars, her study understandably concentrated on that particular aspect of gender development within the game. What is surprising is that she uncovered an alternate reality that, although played by rules set specifically for online interaction among its players, is still deeply rooted in the social norms and rules of our real-life reality. To quote Eklund (2011): Results show that gender identity construction in WoW is an ongoing process highly dependent on the social context of the play. The women interviewed created highly gendered and sexualized identities constrained and empowered by the rules of the game and the opportunities it offers as well of their social relations. Although a heterosexual norm rules, there are possibilities hitherto unrecognized for queer performance within the gendered roleplay in WoW and the game offers the possibility of multiple and alternative performances of the self. [323] It is easy to understand why Eklund would be interested in understanding the driving forces behind the sexual development of these female or male avatars (as the case may be). The internet and these online games have long been viewed by society as an escape from the real world. It is an alternate universe where they can be the exact opposite of who they are in real life. Ergo, women can be men, men can be women, and queer online relationships can exist where it would be frowned upon in the real world. All of that existing because gender is not one of the foremost concerns when playing the game. Through this study, Eklund was able to prove that gender, sexuality, and identity covers a wider context and meaning in the online gaming world. There are no gender issues here because gender does not exist. The gender of the person is instead determined by the actions that the player takes during gameplay. By doing these movements repeatedly, the natural being is created and-and congealed to mimic the appearance of substance within the avatar. In understanding the context of this belief, it becomes obvious that the writer is insinuating that gender and role development is something that becomes normal for people due to the repetition of various actions and social expectations. [325] These social expectations are carried over by the female players of the game into the virtual reality world of WoW where they create avatar versions of themselves based upon what they believe would be considered as normal in the online world. However, the online world leaves them with certain leeway to experience gender and sexual freedom because of the way that the player can control the avatar movement and interactions. These women players choose to create avatars that they can identify with or in effect, use avatars that best represent who they wish they could be in the real world. [329] It appears that women who play online games using female avatars do so because they feel a sense of empowerment while playing the game. Since nobody is really assured of the actual gender of the person they are playing with or against in WOW women feel that the playing field is leveled and that they are able to play to the best of their abilities and in the process, power up their avatars. [328] Being a gamer myself, I have experienced gender swapping my avatars just to see if I would play any better as a male or female representation of myself. Contrary to what the author's interviews revealed, I realized that using a specific gender to represent me does not make any difference at all. All these games require the basic skills of cunning, strategy, and alliance development. Things that can easily be negotiated by either sex representative avatar because it requires the player's actual game playing abilities in order to advance to the next level. [329] However, I agree with the author in the sense that most of these women would not be able to play the game without the guidance of the male players. Just like other female gamers, they were hooked onto the game by their partners who were the first to play the game. [16-17] WoW is primarily identified as a male, testosterone dominated game. Women are not normally viewed as game strategists and have only recently gained the confidence to make their mark in the male-dominated gaming industry. [324] The article basically tried to present itself as a serious look into the world of female gaming based upon their participation in the Worlds of Warcraft online game. Since the author used personal interviews and Skype interviews in collating the necessary information aside from quoting from previous authoritative articles regarding female gender gaming participation, I will have to say that the article comes across as totally accurate and informative for the lay reader. The information was presented in simple ways that did not require the reader to have any scientific background in order to understand the data being presented to them. Its theme was logical and consistent and used the proper supporting information when making claims pertaining to female participation in the online game and presented a thorough look into the history of female gaming and its constant evolution. However, I would have liked to have seen the author interview some men who gender swapped and played as women. It would have, in my opinion, added that all-important voice to the gender creation question. It could have shown the readers why females are fast becoming a force to reckon with in the MMORPG world and what men view as the strengths of the female players that they are trying to emulate by gender swapping online. However, presenting quotes from other authors and the interview participants was able to deliver some of the important information regarding why females create their avatars in a certain way and why they power up their online selves in a certain manner. There is actually much more room for further research and experimentation within the topic presented. Perhaps Eklund can, in a future journal article, try to further this research by becoming a participant in an online game as well and present a study regarding the actions that drove her participation within the online game. How it affected her online gender choices and development, and what hindrances she may have encountered once people discovered that she was a female gamer. Overall, this was a well-written, authoritative, and concise article that gives us a glimpse into the little-known world of female gamers in the World of Warcraft MMORPG. It is the kind of article that, if you are not a female gamer yet, will have you dipping your feet into the online gaming world just to see what makes it tick and if all the information contained in the article is based upon truth without any exaggeration. Bibliography 1. Lina Eklund, “Doing Gender in Cyberspace: The Performance of Gender by Female World of Warcraft Players”. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, (2011): 323 - 340 . Read More