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Meaningful Play 2014 at Michigan State University

Session Information

TitleGender, Inclusive Game Design, & Gaming Culture: An Industry & Academic Discussion
Presenter(s)Julia Raz and Jim Toepel
TimeThursday, October 16, 3:00p-4:00p
LocationLake Michigan
FormatRoundtable
DescriptionThere has been a push in recent years to design video games for a broad spectrum of game players. One area that exemplifies this trend is casual games, such as Candy Crush Saga, Wii Fit U, and Dance Central, which are produced for consoles, mobile, and online contexts. Although we know that there no longer exists a gender gap in gaming, the archaic stereotype of the teenage, male gamer persists, many discourses surrounding inclusive game design and game play has actually resulted in to furthering the dichotomy between perceived games and game play styles among men and women.

How do game designers and game scholars make sense of this recent trend? How has this impacted game design, research, and gaming culture at large?

This roundtable's purpose is to explore, discuss, and debate what game scholars can learn from how game designers conceptualize and implement strategies to target particular audience segments, players, and play styles. Likewise, we will discuss what game designers can learn about game studies scholarship in this area. Our central goal is to promote constructive conversations, spark debate, and encourage collaborations about gender, inclusive game design and gaming culture.

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