The digital gap: gender and computer games

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to consider a specific aspect which has become an obvious source of social inequality in the digital era: computer games from a gender perspective. To this end, the existing literature is reviewed to show that despite the positive educational aspects of play, educational use of computer games is minimal. Details are also given of various research which shows the gender bias in different aspects related to multimedia games. The results of the research carried out by the authors (which received a subsidy from the Catalan Autonomous Government Catalan Women's Institute), dealing with the prevailing sexism in multimedia games, is also listed. Finally, the need for safeguarding the quality of multimedia games is highlighted, without forgetting new technologies' socialising importance in today's society.