Updated Research Proposal - V7

“Exergames and Female Representations: Implications for Adolescent Females”
Research Proposal

Introduction
Video games represent prominent cultural media influencing daily lives with more and more youth and adults playing games regularly. More than 53 percent of adults, age 18 and above play video games, and about one fifth of those play every day. About 97 percent of American teens play video games (PIP, 2009). Similar to traditional media forms such as television, magazines and newspapers, video games are not neutral products or communication means. They portray social mores and ideals inherent in their given societies, making them ideal test beds to investigate cultural representations and societal reproductions.
Much work has been done on the social and cultural representations and impacts of those representations through traditional media (Hall, 1997; Byrd-Bredbenner, 2003). More recently, researchers have investigated the cultural and social representations and impacts through newer media forms such as video games (Wilson & Peterson, 2002; Beasely & Standley, 2002). However, little is known about the cultural and identity representations and their impacts on audiences through exergames, a fairly new and quickly emerging genre of video games.
Exergames are games that encourage physical activity, movement and kinesthetic learning – meaning they encourage full body movement and knowledge making. Although exergames require different playing styles than traditional video games, the social practices 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). The purpose of this study is to investigate female representations in exergames through feminist theoretical lens, and the implications of these representations for adolescent females. Specifically, this study will investigate the implications of these representations on identity, self-esteem, self-efficacy, engagement and motivation in female adolescent gamers. This study will offer important considerations of female representations in popular cultural media, such as video games and the emerging exergame arena. The research questions guiding this study are as follows

1. How are females represented physically, emotionally, intellectually, agency, in the top-selling exergames?
2. How do representations of females in exergames affect female adolescent players? (emotional affect, identidy, power, agency, self-efficacy, self-esteem, motivation in playing game).

Literature Review
There have been numerous studies documenting the representation of the female body in traditional media and the negative impacts those representations have on the body image, self-esteem and self-perception in the American female population, particularly in adolescents (Byrd-Bredbenner, 2003).
In comparison to the average American women, women across all spectrums of the media are increasingly represented as disproportionate in body size (usually being too thin and with large busts). These representations can have numerous negative implications for females who aspire to those body proportions and are therefore unhappy with themselves and their body images if they cannot achieve those proportions.
Much of the scholarly work on female representations in the media has generally covered television and traditional print media such as magazines and newspapers. However, more work continues to emerge regarding the same considerations of female representations in newer media such as video games. For example, Beasely and Standley (2002) analyzed 597 video game characters and discovered a significant gender bias in representation of these characters with more male characters to choose from, and the majority of female characters in hyper sexualized clothing that exposed more skin than their male counterparts.
Video games represent prominent cultural media influencing daily lives. In fact, video games represent a prominent socialization feature in many American lives, especially children. Additionally, the engaging, hand-on experience of video games that offer users a more interactive environment that traditional media, can potentially impact audiences all the more, both negatively and positively, because the immersive experience feels more real (Beaseley & Standley, 2002; Royse et al., 2007). Like other media, video games portray social mores and ideals inherent in their given societies. Further, video games offer opportunities for identity construction, particularly in relation to “gendered identities” (Royse et al., 2007), making them important artifacts in which to study these dynamics. While considerable research has documented the social and cultural representations of women and their effects on identity formation in traditional media, more research continues to investigate these similar issues within 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.
Identity construction through video games, particularly exergames
Adolescence marks an important time for youth and their formation of identity. During this time, youth develop their one sense of self, become more aware of their abilities, strengths and weaknesses, and begin to celebrate their unique character qualities. However, while identity is developed individually, it is impacted, negotiated and confirmed through social interactions with others (Buckingham, 2008; Ericksen, 1968).
This important period of identity formation is especially critical in adolescent females, who are overwhelmingly susceptible to idealized body images portrayed throughout the media (Byrd-Bredbenner, 2003). Female adolescents are also introduced to certain “female” qualities and gendered performances through video games and exergames, making female representations in exergames an important area of exploration.
On one hand, video games and exergames offer youth opportunities to explore identity formation and creations, often allowing players to create or “try on” their own character through body size, clothing and even characteristics. This flexibility in “identity play” is important, but still garners a closer look. If character options are limited or help to propagate negative female representations, especially idealized body size and image, this is an important area of consideration.
Understanding Games Through a Feminist Lens
It is important to examine female representations in video games, particularly exergames, through a feminist theoretical lens feminist theory seeks to investigate the oppression and domination of any subjugated person or group, including women, African Americans and homosexuals (Foss, Foss & Griffin, 2004). Feminist scholars such as Judith Butler and Donna Harroway, provide important insights regarding identity formation and performance as it pertains to women and gendered experiences.
Butler’s (1993) theory of performitivity posits that an individual’s identity and performance of that identity (behavior), is based upon social and ritualized controls, including someone’s gender and preference. Donna Harroway (1991) suggests that people experience and “read” the world through coded and socially determined “texts” in technology. Video games, including exergames, demonstrate non-neutral social artifacts that encourage and propagate social norms that in turn affect their players. Players perform certain behaviors and gender roles through the characters they create and through which they play the game.





Research Design
My study will explore female representations in exergames and their impacts on adolescent females through a feminist theoretical framework. This section will outline the primary research questions guiding this study, as well as my reasons for conducting a qualitative investigation using several methods with in the qualitative approach.
The research questions guiding my research design are as follows:
1. How are females represented in the top-selling exergames?
2. How do representations of females in exergames affect female adolescent players (looking at specific things like self-efficacy, self-esteem and motivation?

Qualitative Investigation
I will use a strong qualitative approach in this study, because this approach will best answer my research questions. Qualitative research projects typically investigate a problem inductively with the focus on the individual to better understand the complexity of a specific situation (Creswell, 2009).
My study will bring together several qualitative strategies to better investigate my research questions, focus groups, one-one interviews, observations, and individual blogging and video artifacts (similar to journal entries). I plan to first perform textual analysis of female representations in the top 5 exergames in the US. Next, I will collect interview, observation, blog/video diary data regarding the gameplay of these participants to investigate identity, self-esteem, motivation and other social factors involved in playing such games. Individual and focus groups (with group split into 2 groups) interviews will take place throughout the study, beginning, middle and end, to ensure research participant responses on exergame play are adequately captured.

Theoretical Framework Guiding Investigation
I will examine the female representations in exergames and their impacts on players through a feminist theoretical framework. Specifically, I will apply Judith Butler’s (1993) theory of performitivity in which she posits that an individual’s identity and performance of that identity (behavior), is based upon social and ritualized controls. I will also draw on Donna Harraway’s (1991) arguments regarding people experiencing and reading the world through coded and socially determined “texts” in technology. David Buckingham’s (2008) theory of identity formation through new technology will also provide a valuable framework with which to investigate the impacts of these female representations on the identity formation of adolescent females.

Researcher Roles
In a qualitative study, the researcher is an active participant. As the primary researcher in this study, I will server an active participant-observer role, playing games with research participants at times to better understand their game play activities and responses to the selected exergames. I will be leading research sessions, observing and interviewing participants, designing questions for their blog/video diary responses and chatting with them on their gameplay experiences over breakfast and breaks.

Participants/Recruitment
I will recruit a convenience sample 6-8 adolescent females, age 12-14, from the university community and partnerships through the NMSU Learning Games Lab where I am a research coordinator. I will use several qualitative approaches with textual analysis of interviews, observation and blog/video diaries regarding the gameplay of these participants to investigate identity, self-esteem, motivation and other social factors involved in playing such games. I will run the research similar to other LGL research sessions with structured research activities including targeted gameplay, discussion and individual responses to gameplay. Research participants will meet in the NMSU Learning Games Lab, two Saturdays in February 2010 for four hours each day.

Data Collection
The data collection for this study will occur in 2 phases. First I will do a textual analysis of the five, top-selling exergames in the US, specifically investigating the female representations in these titles.
Next, I will conduct two research sessions with participants in which I will observe exergame play with these exergames, specifically noting player comments, reactions, feedback, character design, etc. Using a structured agenda, players will engage in timed activities to ensure they play the selected games (2-3 a day) for about 30 minutes each to adequately experience and become comfortable with the game. Also, the agenda will ensure time for discussion and and responses regarding gameplay activities including responses via their blog and video diaries. Sample questions will include the following:
Describe the games you played today? What were the 3 best things about this game?

What are 3 things you would improve about this game?
How would you describe the character selection in this game? How did effect your gameplay?
Additionally, I will conduct focus groups with these participants, splitting them up into two groups to better collect feedback and illicit responses from all participants.
Finally, I will conduct one-on-one interviews with all the research participants the final day of the research session, using the peer-reviewed questionnaire (Appendix XX).

Equipment and Facilities
The research will take place in NMSU’s Learning Games Lab, a research facility created to investigate gaming preferences and trends for the Media Productions group, which develops educational games for a variety of audiences. The group keeps the lab well equipped with the latest gaming technology and software. Additionally, the LGL staff are accustomed to running research sessions with a variety of audiences regularly, making this an ideal space to complete this type of research. Most recently, the group was funded to investigate the physical and psychosocial impacts of exergames, so researchers purchased the most recent exergames on the market to test on audiences, so the most recent exergames will be available to test on my research participants.

Human Subjects/IRB Compliance
Research participants will be asked to carefully evaluate and sign an IRB-approved, consent form describing the purpose of the research, as well as the potential risks and benefits of their participation in the study.

Limitations and Restrictions to Research Design and Subject Pool
Because I am using a convenience sample, the backgrounds of my research subjects will be limited, and will not be an accurate representation of a larger sample. The backgrounds of my subjects will likely be similar geographically, economically and racially, as many will be recruited from the university community. They will likely be predominantly white, with parents who are a part of the university setting and likely educated within that setting.

However, given this limited pool of research subjects, this study will likely offer interesting results for further exploration and research opportunities.


Significance
What I will do in the future…
Think about how it will benefit me – where this will lead in my career – how this will feed my dissertation, I think this will contribute to the body of game theory, feminist approaches to new media…