According to a new study by
researchers at Concordia University, Colorado State University, Syracuse
University, Hofstra University and the University of Toronto, a male gamer who
chooses to play as a female character will still display signs of his true gender.
In the study, researchers examined the online behaviour of 375 participants as
they played a custom-built quest in World of Warcraft -- a massive multi-player
game set in a fantasy world where players battle warlords, dragons, demons and
each other to gain strength and abilities. The investigators' goal was to see
if gender differences in online behaviour align with the offline social norms
that govern appropriate behaviour for men and women.
Twenty-three per cent of the
study's male participants chose avatars of the opposite gender, and seven per
cent of its female participants did the same. As they played, their online
movement, chat and clicks on interactive objects were recorded. The researchers
found that male gamers with female avatars used more emotional phrases and
employed smile emoticons more often than those with male avatars. They were
also more likely to choose an attractive avatar. It was with respect to
movement that the male gamers with female avatars ultimately gave themselves
away: they moved backwards more often and stayed further away from the group
than women playing with female avatars.
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