Proposal Abstract

Rachel R. Gallagher
“Exergames and Female Representations: Implications for Adolescent Females”
Gender, Bodies, and Technology Conference Proposal

Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate female representations in exergames (games that encourage physical activity and movement), and the implications of these representations for adolescent females, such as identity, self-esteem, self-efficacy, engagement and motivation. Video games represent prominent cultural media influencing daily lives. Like other media, video games portray social mores and ideals inherent in their given societies. Much work has been done on the social and cultural portrayals and effects of traditional media and more recently, video games (Wilson & Peterson, 2002, Byrd-Bredbenner, 2003). However, little is known about the cultural and identity representations and impacts of exergames, a fairly new and quickly emerging genre of video games.

The social practices and daily life involved in video game play, and the culturally rooted nature of exergames and their effects on audiences, particularly young women, is an important area of exploration (Dubels, 2009; Buckingham, 2008). In a pilot study using the top 10 exergames in the U.S., researchers investigated the female representations in the games, in addition to investigating identity, self-esteem, motivation and other social factors involved in playing such games by observing the gameplay of 6-8 adolescent females, age 12-14. Using interviews, observation and blog/video diaries, investigators collected feedback from research participants to consider the hypothesis that most top-selling exrgames portray women in a sexualized manner, impacting users’ self-esteem and body image. Findings were consistent with similar studies on other forms of media and traditional video games. This presentation will be about 20 minutes and will outline the findings of the study, offering the field important implications of female representations in popular cultural media, such as video games. I will use a slideshow presentation to demonstrate important findings of this research.