Constructing and Deconstructing Gender in Second Life

Digital games are cultural representations that convey the gender system. The narratives of gender that have shaped the gaming industry since the 1980s were influenced by gender stereotypes. The representation of the female, although based on stereotypes, has evolved hand in hand with the representation of women in other media. But what happens when players are given the opportunity to develop their digital representatives? Virtual worlds are among the online games that allow a higher degree of personalization of the avatar and, in order to contribute to a better understanding of how gender identities are being performed within these environments, this paper will present a case study of Second Life. A qualitative methodology was used based on netnographic research. The data collection methods included participant observation and auto-netnography. The researchers would like to propose that to examine how gender is represented in games that enable the creation of the avatar allows to deepen the analysis on the relationship that has been established between gender and digital games.