The world of video games has long revolved around a subset of its player base-straight, white males aged 18-25. Highly gendered marketing in the late 1990s and early 2000s widened the gap between this perceived base and the actual diverse group who buy video games. Despite reports from the Entertainment Software Association that nearly half of gamers identify as female, many developers continue to produce content reflecting this imaginary audience.

Many female gamers are in turn modifying games to appeal to players like themselves. "Modders" alter the appearance of characters, rewrite scenes and epilogues, enhance or add love scenes and create fairy tale happy endings. This collection of new essays examines the phenomenon of women and modding, focusing on such titles as Skyrim, Dragon Age, Mass Effect and The Sims. Topics include the relationship between modders and developers, the history of modding, and the relationship between modding and disability, race, sexuality and gender identity.

About the Author
Bridget Whelan is an assistant professor of English at SOWELA Technical Community College in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Her research interests include children's literature, fan studies, game studies, and girl culture.


Book Information
ISBN 9781476667430
Author Bridget Whelan
Format Paperback
Page Count 177
Imprint McFarland & Co Inc
Publisher McFarland & Co Inc
Weight(grams) 295g