Gender-Inclusivity Framework (GIF): A Conceptual Framework for Supporting Gender-Inclusivity in Games

Despite the dramatic growth of gender and games research, many challenges remain in designing a more gender inclusive game. This research addresses the problem of how to support gender-inclusivity in games by incorporating theories in games and gender. Existing research in games and gender tend to focus on finding out how each gender plays and their preferences in games. However, there is little evidence that researchers have approached the issue of gender inclusivity in games with the intent of building a cohesive understanding of gender inclusivity in games and the relationships that exist between the different dimensions and components. Consequently, the aim of this research is to develop an integrative conceptual framework that can support gender inclusivity in games. The development of the Gender Inclusivity Framework (GIF) aimed to understand the makeup of gender inclusivity in games, how to define gender inclusivity in games and measure the level of gender inclusiveness in games. Drawing upon established theories and prior research findings, the proposed framework suggests that gender inclusivity in games can be determined by 3 dimensions: (1) gameplay, which describes the game behaviour and include non-violent action (NVA), game support (GS), forgiving gameplay (FG), non-violent challenge (NVC), feedback system (FS), variety of activities (ACT), personalization (PER) and collaboration (COLL); (2) content, that relates to the aesthetics elements of a game and consists of character/avatar portrayal (AVP), game world graphics (GW), sound/music (SM) and storyline (STOR) and; (3) genre, which categorizes games into twelve broad genres: racing, simulation, classic/board, strategy, sports, shooting, role playing game, platform, children, puzzle/quiz, action and adventure. Each dimension in the framework is divided into individual components that can be modified or further investigated in future studies. Each component in combination describes the dimension in terms that can be measured and evaluated in empirical studies. Hence, the combination of dimensions and components used to construct the framework provide the description of gender-inclusivity in games, which in turn is expected to predict the degree of gender-inclusiveness in games. For educators, GIF allows the identification of gender-inclusivity components in games so informed decisions can be made on how to evaluate and choose appropriate games for classroom activities. For researchers, GIF provides a common framework in which to conceptualize their research and make it easier to see how individual variables fit into the larger picture. For game designers, GIF enables deconstruction of the concept of gender inclusivity in games into smaller, conceptually distinct and manageable component to guide the design of gender inclusivity in games

Games for Change

An introduction to 'Games for Change'. Covers the definition, areas of application and examples of games

Gender Issues in Games

Introduction to 'Gender Issues in Games'. Covers justification to understanding gender differences/preferences in games, categories of gender issues and ways to integrate gender inclusivity in games

A Conceptual Framework for Supporting Gender-Inclusivity in Games

Gender-inclusivity in games has been a much debated issue and despite the dramatic growth of gender and games research, many challenges remain in designing a more gender-inclusive game. Gender-inclusivity in games may support certain features and in turn may even determine the features of applications built based on it. This poses a challenge: although we have good techniques for analyzing, designing and evaluating current games, our techniques for gender-inclusive games are much less formed. We present a brief outline of some unresolved issues concerning gender-inclusivity in games and the gaps in designing a more gender-inclusive game. There is little reported experience in the issues that arise in determining what features should go into a gender-inclusive game and for determining the success or failure in the evaluation of those features. The questions that arise from this situation are how to define gender-inclusivity in games, how to incorporate gender-inclusivity into a game creation process and how to accurately measure gender-inclusivity in games. We propose a framework that defines gender-inclusivity in three key themes: (1) gameplay, describing the game behaviour and how a player experiences the game. It include non-violent action (NVA), game support (GS), forgiving gameplay (FG), non-violent challenge (NVC), feedback system (FS), variety of activities (ACT), personalization (PER) and collaboration (COLL); (2) content, describing the aesthetics elements of a game. It consists of character/avatar portrayal (AVP), game world graphics (GW), sound/music (SM) and storyline (STOR) and; (3) genre, categorizes games into twelve broad genres: racing, simulation, classic/board, strategy, sports, shooting, role playing game, platform, children, puzzle/quiz, action and adventure. On-going research is being planned for experiments to validate the framework through expert reviews, game evaluations and game design projects. We believe the results may extend to other domains in technology enhanced teaching and learning applications to commercial games design

Pregnancy in a uterine anomaly: a case report

Pregnancy in rudimentary horn of the uterus is a rare clinical condition and often misdiagnosed as tubal, cornual, abdominal and even intrauterine pregnancy. Surgical excision of the horn is the definitive treatment for this condition. A healthy primigravida at 11 weeks gestation with underlying corrected Tetralogy of Fallot was seen with ultrasound findings suggestive of ectopic pregnancy. She underwent laparotomy and intraoperative finding was unruptured right non-communicating rudimentary horn pregnancy which was surgically excised. This case highlights the importance of having this rare diagnosis as one of the differential diagnosis for ectopic pregnancy

A Model for Gender-Inclusivity in Games

This report describes the theoretical framework based on previous work and the results draw attention to existing issues in gender and games. One of the problems found in current studies is the tendency of games to be on either extreme end of the design styles. Many popular games are designed for the male players in mind and deter female players due to somewhat excessive masculine design e.g. violence and hyper-sexualized characters. Although there are some efforts in designing games for the female market, these custom-made games were too feminized e.g. wedding theme; shopping; and in pink colour, which consequently exclude the male players. Designing a gender-neutral game is important to ensure that both genders are learning as well as the other. The proposed study aims to design a model for gender-inclusivity in games. It will be based on a critical analysis of current game design models and finding principles that represent the composition of a game design model. Based on this, gender-inclusive elements will be incorporated and a new model will be proposed. The model will help determine whether a game is gender-specific, which contains extreme elements of either gender, or gender-inclusive, contains elements that might appeal to both male and female players. The model will be implemented through a series of game experiments and the results will used to improve the model, consequently contribute to the game design theory

A Conceptual Framework For Gender-Inclusivity

Despite the dramatic growth of gender and games research, many challenges remain in designing a more gender-inclusive game. This report addresses the problem of how to apply the concept of gender-inclusivity into game design. A central contribution of the research is the development of a gender-inclusivity framework. The conceptual framework is founded on the analysis and synthesized information from related theories and research. It demonstrates how the concept of gender-inclusivity can be defined and expressed in three key components: 1) genre, which indicate the type of game, (2) gameplay, which describes the game behaviour e.g. conflict resolution, feedback, challenge and flexibility, (3) aesthetics content, which describes the game content including character/avatar, music, storyline and game world graphics. This framework can be use as a reference point by providing a common vocabulary for discussing issues of gender-inclusivity i.e. literature, methods and results. In addition to that, it serves as a boundary of what constitutes gender-inclusivity in games. Subsequently, it acts as a filtering tool for what is relevant and not relevant to gender-inclusivity in games. Two novel applications of the gender-inclusivity framework are presented. The first is a measuring instrument called the Gender-Inclusivity Rating Scale (GIRS). The GIRS instrument was designed to assess the degree of gender-inclusiveness in a game. The second application extends the notion of gender-inclusivity to design practice. The Gender-Inclusive Game Design Model (GIGaDM) guides designers in the design process. It helps to deconstruct the overall gender-inclusivity design tasks into smaller, conceptually distinct and manageable tasks. Finally, the direction of future work is outlined