Women’s representation in the gaming world : has there been a change in the representation of women in computer competitive video games over time? If so, what does it mean?
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- Video games have traditionally been perceived as a way of entertainment. But times are changing, it is now possible to make a living by playing video games. Competitive games such as Fortnite, Counter-Strike or League of Legends, turned video gaming into a new sport. Electronic Sports, or e-sports, are organised video game competitions between players from all around the globe. As electronic sport is the second most watched sport after the National Football League (NFL), it is becoming a mass media. At the beginning, the gaming world was a boy's club. Nowadays, almost half of the gaming population are women. This dissertation was set out to find out if there has been a change over time in the representation of women in two of the most famous computer competitive video games, League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Therefore, I conducted a qualitative analysis of women's representation in both games and evaluated if women characters are sexualised. Then, I analysed the different options women have if they want to become professional gamers and make a living by playing video games.