Spelar kön någon roll? - En studie om kvinnors uppfattning om jämställdhet i World of Warcrafts värld
The object with this bachelor thesis is to illustrate if equality is present
during the interaction between female and male players in the World of Warcraft
with focus on the female players conception. The main question is: How does
gender matter in the interaction between female and male players in WoW? This
question is particularly interesting because WoW is in its own construction
neutral in regards to gender in the aspect that gender does not hinder or
benefit your avatar when it comes to the avatars development or possibilities.
This bachelor thesis describes the views three of female WoW players and how
they perceive the interaction with male players with focus on equality. The
informants? personal thoughts and experiences are described. The data has been
collected through interviews with these female players and has been analyzed
and compared to the gender hierarchical theories presented in the section
describing the chosen theories.
The result shows that the informants do not perceive WoW as an equal world and
they describe different episodes that strengthen their view. The analysis
displays clear patterns of
gender hierarchy that further strengthens the informants? views and thoughts.
The analysis uncovers gender hierarchical patterns that the informants perceive
as positive but might have a basis in unequal thoughts and patterns. This shows
that even positive effects of being female
in the World of Warcraft can be counterproductive in regards to equality.
But the dark clouds have a silver lining. In regards to endgame play, the WoW
players value competence disregarding of gender. If you are a good enough
player the borders between genders is weakened and a brief equality is in
effect, even if it?s only for a few hours