Women in Machinima

We interviewed 13 female machinima artists to investigate which specific qualities of this game-based production tool appeal to women. The research looked at engine use, personal situation of artists and motivation, production processes, and dominant themes in female produced machinima. Our findings indicate that machinima as a form of emergent play opens up promising possibilities for women to engage in game and animation production. Traditional social roles of women are present and remain relevant for machinima production but the accessibility of the tools provides a playground for these filmmakers to explore new genres and technologies and it supports the interest in meaningful engagement and artistic expression stated by most participants in the study. We conclude that machinima can serve as a useful tool to explore and improve women’s position in game development.