Thornham

Like the article states, there is a social stigma to which types of games are played by whom. Girls are expected to play Dance Dance Revolution and boys are expected to play Tomb Raider. However, in a social context, I think those gender roles can flip depended on what sort of gratification the gamer is trying to get from the game. If a girl wants to show off the to the boys that she can be better than them, she may be more likely to play an action game with a lot of guns just to show she can.

In terms of gaming "itself", it is obvious that when playing, people think that they are acquiring a skill and that "practice makes perfect". If video games where not around, would people be trying to gain that satisfaction of getting better at something in a more rewarding setting?