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Abstract

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) found that women accounted for 46% of U.S. gamers in 2024. However, women players (especially girl players) remain an under-researched demographic in game studies. The aim of this qualitative case study was to expand upon previous research discoveries and explore the 21st-century skills, design processes, perspectives, and behaviors of adolescent girl players as they played, created, and survived in a video game (Minecraft). The data analysis involved triangulating eleven qualitative case study interviews with visual artifacts and observations from twenty-one girl players. A hundred and fifty students collaborated with the participants throughout various stages of the study's three phases. The qualitative coding process generated five themes: (1) Father Figures, (2) Community House, (3) Gamer Girl, (4) Lockdown, and (5) Trial and Error. Each theme organizes and shares how girls viewed, theorized, and interpreted their video game experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords

gaming 21st-century skills leadership girls gamer culture Covid-19

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Beyond Game Blocks: Adolescent Girl Players' Perspectives During COVID-19

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