Women’s presence and roles in video games journalism: an analysis of newsrooms and cultural critique in Spanish specialized media

Abstract

Introduction: Cultural journalism is characterized by its prescriptive function, which sets the agenda by determining which products deserve to receive public attention. Within this area of specialization is video games journalism, whose industry has traditionally been criticized for its marked gender inequalities. This article aims to describe the presence and role of women in Spanish specialized media outlets. Methodology: We studied the newsroom composition of the websites 3DJuegos, AnaitGames, AreaJugones, Eurogamer, IGN, HobbyConsolas, Meristation, Nintenderos and Vandal, as well as all their reviews published between 1997 and 2022 (n=34,529). Results: Women barely represent 18.6% of the staff of the major magazines in the sector, and are most frequently linked to them as external collaborators. Their presence in managerial tasks is non-existent in seven of the nine outlets. In addition, in the last 25 years they have only signed 3.6% of all the reviews, although the figure has experienced a timid but constant growth in recent years, driven by the changes made in AnaitGames, Eurogamer and Meristation. They usually write about musical videogames, as well as those suitable for all audiences, while adult, violent or driving games are generally reserved for men. Conclusions: This work highlights the enormous gender gap that still exists today in video games press, and draws the attention to certain stereotypes that continue to perpetuate in Spanish specialized press.