The Gamer Girls of Jorvik : Motivations of Play in Star Stable Online

Sammanfattning: This thesis examines the motives of play amongst girl gamers aged nine to seventeen. It focuses on the players of the game Star Stable Online also referred to as a ‘pink’ game. It is an empirical study, using a mixed method design. The study is split into two parts and the results from part two were used to support the results from part one. In the first part of the study, quantitative data was collected through an online survey using a closed card sorting method. The survey was complemented with open and closed questions, which also gave the form a qualitative element. The second part of the study was purely qualitative, consisting of an artwork study where the method resembles arts-based elicitation. The girls were requested to send in artwork depicting the thing they love the most in the game or something they would love to have. The images were then put through thematic analysis and the outcome was compared with the data collected in the survey. The results showed that girls chose to play Star Stable Online due to their interest in horses as well as to immerse themselves in its story and narrative.