research-article

Simulating Marriage: Gender Roles and Emerging Intimacy in an Online Game

Authors:

Jeffrey Bardzell,

Shaowen Bardzell,

Susan C. HerringAuthors Info & Claims

CSCW '15: Proceedings of the 18th ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing

Pages 1191 - 1200

https://doi.org/10.1145/2675133.2675192

Published: 28 February 2015 Publication History

Abstract

Virtual marriage is a complex social activity in virtual worlds, yet it has received relatively little research attention. What happens when an important relationship such as marriage is transformed into gameplay? In this paper we present an empirical study of how players perceive, experience, and interpret their in-game marriages, especially with regard to representations of gender and sexuality, in an online game (Audition) where a ludological simulation of marriage is centrally embedded in gameplay. Findings reveal that marriage-as-ludic-rule-system and marriage-as-significant-sociocultural-institution provide a double set of gameplay/social/psychosexual resources that players collaboratively learn and perform, and that this negotiation is a source of pleasure, frustration, and meaning in the game. These findings can contribute to understanding the specificity and heterogeneity of players' gender representation in virtual worlds and inform the design of mixed reality games that simulate important life events for learning.

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Cited By

Schulenberg KFreeman GLi LKnijnenburg B(2024)Does Who You Are or Appear to Be Matter?: Understanding Identity-Based Harassment in Social VR Through the Lens of (Mis)Perceived Identity RevelationProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36869238:CSCW2(1-40)Online publication date: 8-Nov-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3686923
Darling-Wolf HPatitsas E(2024)"Not my Priority:" Ethics and the Boundaries of Computer Science Identities in Undergraduate CS EducationProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36410138:CSCW1(1-28)Online publication date: 26-Apr-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3641013
Wan QLu Z(2024)Investigating VTubing as a Reconstruction of Streamer Self-Presentation: Identity, Performance, and GenderProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36373578:CSCW1(1-22)Online publication date: 26-Apr-2024
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Index Terms

Simulating Marriage: Gender Roles and Emerging Intimacy in an Online Game
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Human computer interaction (HCI)

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cover image ACM Conferences

CSCW '15: Proceedings of the 18th ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing

February 2015

1956 pages

ISBN:9781450329224

DOI:10.1145/2675133

General Chairs:
Dan Cosley
Cornell University, USA
,
Andrea Forte
Drexel University, USA
,
Program Chairs:
Luigina Ciolfi
Sheffield Hallam University, UK
,
David McDonald
University of Washington, USA

Copyright © 2015 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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Published: 28 February 2015

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CSCW '15

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CSCW '15: Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing

March 14 - 18, 2015

BC, Vancouver, Canada

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CSCW '15 Paper Acceptance Rate 161 of 575 submissions, 28%;

Overall Acceptance Rate 2,235 of 8,521 submissions, 26%

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October 18 - 22, 2025

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Cited By

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https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3686923
Darling-Wolf HPatitsas E(2024)"Not my Priority:" Ethics and the Boundaries of Computer Science Identities in Undergraduate CS EducationProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36410138:CSCW1(1-28)Online publication date: 26-Apr-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3641013
Wan QLu Z(2024)Investigating VTubing as a Reconstruction of Streamer Self-Presentation: Identity, Performance, and GenderProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36373578:CSCW1(1-22)Online publication date: 26-Apr-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3637357
Taylor JSimpson ETran ABrubaker JFox SZhu H(2024)Cruising Queer HCI on the DL: A Literature Review of LGBTQ+ People in HCIProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642494(1-21)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
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Lei QTang RHo HZhou HGuo JTang Z(2024)A Game of Love for Women: Social Support in Otome Game Mr. Love: Queen’s Choice in ChinaProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642306(1-15)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
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Liu LZhang CLu Z(2024)Wrist-bound Guanxi, Jiazu, and Kuolie: Unpacking Chinese Adolescent Smartwatch-Mediated SocializationProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642044(1-21)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
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Ale-Ebrahim BGohring TFetterolf EGray M(2023)Pronouns in the Workplace: Developing Sociotechnical Systems for Digitally Mediated Gender ExpressionProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/35795167:CSCW1(1-30)Online publication date: 16-Apr-2023
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Li LFreeman GSchulenberg KAcena D(2023)"We Cried on Each Other’s Shoulders": How LGBTQ+ Individuals Experience Social Support in Social Virtual RealityProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3581530(1-16)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
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Gonçalves DPais PGerling KGuerreiro TRodrigues A(2023)Social gamingComputers in Human Behavior10.1016/j.chb.2023.107851147:COnline publication date: 1-Oct-2023
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Dudek SYoung JSakamoto DWeiss AHiatt LShiomi M(2022)Fluid Sex RobotsProceedings of the 2022 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction10.5555/3523760.3523868(746-749)Online publication date: 7-Mar-2022
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