ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on several key aspects of the relationship between gender and video games in Latin America: first, representation, identification and gender in games; next, gender and player demographics in Latin America; third, the gender dynamics of Latin American game development; and finally, intersections of gender and gameplay in 21st-century Latin America. Video games and their meaning are impacted by issues related to gender from their production to their reception—and indeed beyond, into their recirculation, reinterpretation and reconfiguration by contemporary prosumer audiences. The male dominance among playable characters in mainstream video games is compounded by a lack of Latinx characters, as well as a general lack of well-rounded characters from different socioeconomic classes, racial, ethnic, linguistic and lesbian/gay/bisexual/trans/queer backgrounds. Player demographics are also in a process of rapid diversification, impacted in part by innovations like casual games and social media games, as well as expanded availability of internet-enabled smartphones throughout Latin America and the globe.
