Why Have There Been No Great Women Board Game Designers?

https://www.doi.org/10.24140/ijgsi.v1.n2.08

Keywords: Board games, Women designers, Board game designers, Gender stereotypes, Gender inclusion

Abstract

Board Games are becoming increasingly popular, and yet the Board Game designer population continues to be primarily made up of white men. This article intends to present the factors that may have held women and non-binary people back from occupying the Board Game community as intensely as men and which contribute to the homogeneity of Board Game designers today. Firstly, supported by the relevant literature, this article starts by establishing a connection between implicit stereotypes and the way we choose to spend our free time. Secondly, data from studies performed in different countries shows that, even when choosing to play Board Games, women have tendentially less free time than men to play – and, therefore, less time to develop ideas for new Board Games. Lastly, this article focuses on the women who play and how their experiences in Board Game events and conventions may prevent them from participating further in the hobby and its community, including in Board Game design.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Carolina Magalhães Dias, Associação Quebra-Dados

Carolina Magalhães Dias is a researcher in Criminology and Gender Studies, and a Project Manager at Quebra-Dados Association, a non-profit association dedicated to tabletop games in Portugal. She has worked in several research projects in the field of gender-based violence for the feminist association UMAR - Women’s Association Alternative and Response, and is currently undergoing a Master’s Degree in Women’s Studies at FCSH.NOVA.

Published
2023-09-01
Issue
Vol. 1 No. 2 (2023): International Journal of Games and Social Impact
Section
Articles