Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Concurrent Substance Abuse and Mental Health Disorders, Innlandet Hospital Trust, P.O. Box 104, 2381 Brumunddal, Norway.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jun 4;18(11):6085. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18116085.
Gaming is widespread among adolescents and has typically been viewed as an activity for boys. There are however a growing number of female gamers and we need to learn more about how gender affects gaming. The aim of this study is to both quantify gaming among Norwegian adolescents and explore how gender differences are perceived. A mixed method approach was used to capture gaming experiences among boys and girls. Survey data ( = 5607) was analyzed descriptively, and five focus groups were conducted, applying thematic analysis. Statistics showed that boys from the age of 14 use video games up to 5 times more than girls, while girls are much more on social media. From the focus groups, we found that boys did not view social media as socially significant as gaming and that there is a greater social acceptance of gaming among boys than among girls. Gender differences in video gaming are not necessarily a problem per se, as they may reflect gender-specific motivations and interests. However, the study also finds that girls feel less encouraged than boys to play video games due to different gender-related experiences of video gaming. Therefore, gendered barriers in video gaming must be explored in future research.
游戏在青少年中很普遍，通常被视为男孩的活动。但是，越来越多的女性也开始玩游戏，我们需要更多地了解性别如何影响游戏。本研究旨在量化挪威青少年的游戏行为，并探讨性别差异是如何被感知的。采用混合方法来捕捉男孩和女孩的游戏体验。对调查数据（n=5607）进行了描述性分析，并进行了五次焦点小组讨论，采用主题分析。统计数据显示，14 岁的男孩玩电子游戏的次数比女孩多 5 倍，而女孩则更多地使用社交媒体。从焦点小组中，我们发现男孩并不像玩游戏那样重视社交媒体，而且男孩比女孩更能接受玩游戏。视频游戏中的性别差异本身不一定是问题，因为它们可能反映了性别特定的动机和兴趣。然而，该研究还发现，由于女孩在玩视频游戏方面的性别相关体验不同，她们感到不如男孩那样受到鼓励。因此，未来的研究必须探讨视频游戏中的性别障碍。
