TY - JOUR
T1 - Exploring empathy and intersectionality in gaming
T2 - a case study of sweetxheart (Small, 2019)
AU - Sousa, Carla
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, Universidade Catolica Portuguesa. All rights reserved.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - This study examines the ability of the game SweetXHeart – a genre-defying slice-of-life creation by Catt Small (2019) – to promote empathy and consciousness of microaggressions, specifically among participants whose characteristics differ from the game's main character – a white male-dominated sample. The study included 39 undergraduate students from a Bachelor’s Degree in videogames, offering a distinct chance to examine the reactions of this specific demographic to feminist and intersectional ideas in gaming. After playing the game, participants were surveyed, and a mixed-methods approach, including quantitative and content analysis, was applied to their answers. The obtained results emphasize how players gain empathy by adopting the game character’s perspective and experiencing her life, and fostering connections. However, the game’s effectiveness in raising awareness depends on the participants’ understanding of intersectionality and the challenges faced by people in positions of privilege. Further research is needed to fully understand this, and other similar game’s impact on understanding and addressing gender and race issues.
AB - This study examines the ability of the game SweetXHeart – a genre-defying slice-of-life creation by Catt Small (2019) – to promote empathy and consciousness of microaggressions, specifically among participants whose characteristics differ from the game's main character – a white male-dominated sample. The study included 39 undergraduate students from a Bachelor’s Degree in videogames, offering a distinct chance to examine the reactions of this specific demographic to feminist and intersectional ideas in gaming. After playing the game, participants were surveyed, and a mixed-methods approach, including quantitative and content analysis, was applied to their answers. The obtained results emphasize how players gain empathy by adopting the game character’s perspective and experiencing her life, and fostering connections. However, the game’s effectiveness in raising awareness depends on the participants’ understanding of intersectionality and the challenges faced by people in positions of privilege. Further research is needed to fully understand this, and other similar game’s impact on understanding and addressing gender and race issues.
KW - Empathy
KW - Gaming
KW - Gender
KW - Intersectionality
KW - Microaggressions
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85195426047&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.34632/jsta.2023.15878
DO - 10.34632/jsta.2023.15878
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85195426047
SN - 1646-9798
VL - 15
SP - 64
EP - 84
JO - Journal Of Science And Technology Of The Arts
JF - Journal Of Science And Technology Of The Arts
IS - 2
ER -