Comments on: Book Recommendation: A Theory of Fun for Game Design

By: Diosjenin (Dan Emmons)

Diosjenin (Dan Emmons) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 10:08:02 +0000

@ebertchicago – Might be a long shot, but here’s a book recommendation for you: http://bit.ly/KCuHI

By: Raph Koster

Raph Koster — Sat, 19 Feb 2005 05:59:14 +0000

I’m sorry you saw those comments as sexist. They are not intended to be at all. As the book specifically states, these are comments on statistical averages only, not biological determinism. The quote from page 102 is a paraphrase of Simon Baron-Cohen’s thesis, not my own statement. Lastly, the book goes on to specifically argue that we should not regard biology as destiny, that games have the power to change how the brain is wired (definitely read the endnote on research on spatial manipulation, for example) and that we ought to broaden the appeal of games.

There is a fairly substantial pile of research out there regarding brain differences across genders; none of the researchers in the field that I read in the course of writing the book were at all presenting it as a sexist argument. Rather, I’d argue that the limitations lie mostly on the “systematizing brain” side.

By: Beth Harris

Beth Harris — Mon, 14 Feb 2005 01:08:46 +0000

Well, this book is interesting and fun, but a word of warning to female readers: I was enjoying this book until I got to page 102, where I read, “Men are more likely to have systematizing brains, and women more likely to have empathizing brains.” And then (p. 104) “Men not only navigate space differently, but they tend to learn by trying, whereas women prefer to learn through modeling another’s behavior.”

Sounds a little like Harvard President, Lawrence Summers’ recent remark that biology is the reason why women don’t do as well in careers in science and math, no?

And the conclusion of the author to the question of why games don’t appeal to more women: “games are more likely to appeal to young males because these players happen to have the sort of brain that works well with formal abstract systems.”

Ugh! Guess I should just give up now.

I don’t appreciate this sort of appeal to the supposed “science of the brain” to support claims that women are one way and men are another that only end up reinforcing deeply unfortunate sterotypes that continue to adversely effect the real lives of real women. There is (sadly) a long history of this kind of sexism.