Looking behind the curtain: Assessing gender capital and gaming capital in tabletop spaces

Looking behind the curtain: Assessing gender capital and gaming capital in tabletop spaces | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Looking behind the curtain: Assessing gender capital and gaming capital in tabletop spaces Steven Dashiell This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9204892/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract While research has looked at what causes players to be engrossed in tabletop gaming, there has been little investigation into what might pull individuals away from the gaming table. Given that social responsibility sets different work and domestic responsibilities based on gender, there exists the possibility that men, women, and nonbinary players have different circumstances surrounding the phenomena that might call them from the game table. This research examines gender difference, associated norms, and their effect on the ability to deeply participate in gameplay. Drawing from the work on gender capital and gaming capital, the researcher analyzes a mixed method survey of tabletop role-playing gamers. The survey examines what structures are in place to provide the freedom to game, and what real-world constraints participants envision as limiting their ability. Data shows non-game related labor dictates how engaged a player can be at the table, and the impact differs by gender. Analysis affirms that women are impacted differently by gender capital and gaming capital due to real-world concerns that can pull them away and impact their attitudes about their own participation. Gender capital enforces a leisure space between the “two spheres” which yields men the ability to have less internalization concerning barriers to play, while second shift concerns add to the challenges for women. gamer capital gender capital tabletop role playing games practice theory Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Introduction As a leisure activity, tabletop role playing games (trpgs) have several attributes that are recognized as endemic to the gaming format (such as dice, character sheets, etc.), but logistical elements have also been at times referenced. Specifically, tabletop role playing games have been throughout the last fifty years have been seen as time commitments, with common reports of significant hours spent playing at the gaming table. Much of the past research on time and gaming questions a negative correlation between time playing games and time spent not doing other vital activities (Casas, 2013 ; Lee, 2021 ). Thereby, this research relates to the assertion of Putnam ( 2000 ) that contemporary leisure activities, not seen as “social” are subsuming more social events from the past. However, tabletop gaming represents a collective commitment to the game; while research has looked at issues of gaming involvement and “time sink” (event that requires a significant amount of time) with digital games, most of these circumstances concern only an individual player, and not the collective obligation of multiple people in a particular time. Behaviorally, this might impact how much time any player can and would spend at the table, and out of a sense of loyalty to other players, could potentially encourage them to stay for longer periods. What, then, would pull an individual away from a game? This research looks deeply at what social elements counter some of the arguments of Putnam, and actively pull individuals away from the table. Because gender outlays a differing level of social commitments, particularly domestic commitments, to those identified as women, the researchers posited if women, men and nonbinary players would have different elements that pulled them away from the table, because of the effects of different forms of capital. The findings suggest that all things considered, while all individuals have an agency in terms of getting to the gaming table, the additional gendered responsibilities of women, and the gender capital that would be compromised by staying, impacts the gaming capital of women at the table. Conversely, this suggests the gaming space as less confining for men, lending credence to the idea of a gaming space as a male preserve (Dashiell 2020 ). Background The issue of gender in games has been discussed from the perspective of a question of diversity (Kafai et al, 2011 ; Salter and Blodgett, 2012 ). Gaming spaces are generally recognized as male-dominated spaces, with women being newer additions to the subculture (Schott and Horrell, 2000 ; Thornham, 2009; Scoats and Maloney, 2024 ; Todd, 2012 ). The presence of the gamer assumes a nerd masculinity that most gamers perform to interact with others (Condis, 2018 ; Kendall, 2000 ; Paaßen, Morgenroth, and Stratemeyer, 2017 ). However, research has speculated the degree to which women, like minorities, have been present but simply erased based on their adherence to norms that mask the varying identities in the gaming world (Dashiell, 2022 ; Devereaux, 2023 ). Regardless of how long gender diversity has been present in the gaming subculture, misogyny and heterosexism are still crosses that must be borne (Cote, 2020 ; Fox and Tang, 2017 ). Thereby, women, along with other diverse populations, have developed discursive and performative tools to cement their position in game space, and combat the discriminatory harms they might face (Cote, 2017 ; Dashiell and Phelps, 2023 ). Capital is defined by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu as resources that can be converted in a space to have value in either a physical or conceptual form (1986). Ludic scholars have built upon the idea, with Consalvo ( 2007 ) theorizing the presence of gaming capital, which has been considered by Korkeila and Harviainen ( 2023 ) as “the resources an individual gains or has at their disposal during the gaming session” (p.92). This gaming capital can be linked to other types of valued components, such as symbolic and linguistic capital, which assert and reinforce position in gaming spaces (Dashiell, 2017 ). Additionally expanding on the ideas of Bourdieu, scholars have noted the existence of gender capital, representing actions, knowledges, and possessions that have significant value when done in the frame of particular gendered embodiment (Bridges, 2009 ; Huppatz, 2009 ). In other words, some aspects of the social world are more valued when they are done by men, versus done by women (e.g. a “man who can cook” is seen as a prize in the dating world, where there’s no value to a woman who can cook, given she is expected to do so). At times, particularly when operating in a space dominated by a differing gender, individuals must adopt and modify their interactions, the way their gender is “done”, in order to be seen as appropriate (Huppatz and Godwin, 2013; West and Zimmerman, 1987 ). Women must contend with notions of their space in relation to the social world, particularly in the home. There is a second shift women must contend with, defined as the unpaid labor that is expected of them in the home space beyond their formal employment, such as childcare, cleaning and cooking (Hochschild and Manchung, 1989). Beyond being physically committed, the second shift requires an emotional response of devotion to others, which at times displaces the needs and desires of women as secondary to the requirements of the household (Sanzari, Dennis, and Moss-Racusin, 2021 ; Wharton, 1994 ). Men retain the ability to prioritize their work, and to use that as a litmus test of their overall success (Duckworth and Buzzanell, 2009 ). Thereby, gender difference exists in perceptions of leisure, and how it can be ranked in importance (Winn and Heeter, 2009 ). Theoretical Framework This research works under a premise that within the tabletop gaming space there are two forces at work: gaming capital and gender capital. Being at the table represents a form of gaming capital, and thus leaving is detrimental. However, for women, staying when there is an external, particularly domestic, commitment would be antithetical to an understood gender capital of women. By dint of this circumstance, men can maintain a deeper boundary between gaming and other responsibilities and can then receive some social benefit in terms of their gaming capital. This work synthesizes two prevailing ideas in game studies, which are centered around a practice theory approach to game culture analysis shared by a diverse group of researchers (Apperley and Walsh 2012 ; Consalvo 2007 ; Dashiell 2017 ; Korkeila and Harviainen, 2023 ). This school of gaming research has postulated there is a gaming capital that exists and represents the expansive elements of the gaming world which have internal value (Consalvo, 2007 ). So cultural artifacts such as the possession of gamebooks have distinct value in the gaming subculture, but so do more abstract concepts such as time spent as a player and attendance of larger conferences. To that end, being at the tabletop role-playing game (TRPG) table represents a form of gaming capital, but also allows individuals to augment and refine other types of capital valuable for players, such as symbolic capital and linguistic capital (Dashiell 2017 ). Using that as a model, the idea would be that leaving the table – for whatever reason that is not associated with a proper adjournment – would cost a player gaming capital. Thereby, if women are more likely to exit the table due to social commitments that would pull them away, then they would prove unable to amass as much capital as their male counterparts. Because this research interrogates the topic of gender, then a similar concept in practice theory, gender capital, must also be considered. According to Huppatz and Goodwin ( 2013 ), gender capital represents the reality “that both femininity and masculinity are resources that are drawn on both consciously and unconsciously with varying success in movements through social space” (p. 297). Importantly, to succeed in male dominated spaces, women must at times utilize masculine gender capital, whereas men can in some circumstances benefit from employing a feminine gender capital. As gaming subculture is a male dominated space, it has norms and values that privilege those who are understood as men and masculine in Western society. Women, then, employ gaming capital, which is in many instances a masculine gender capital. However, this theory postulates that women leave gaming spaces due to outside efforts because of the imbalance in capitals. In short, if a woman dismissed her socially understood duties in favor of gaming, she would suffer due to the gender capital lost rather than the gaming capital gained. Thereby, this idea is very much aligned with the second shift of Arlie Hochschild (1989), which denotes the responsibilities of women, beyond their occupation, that are expected to be performed in the household. This research proposes that because men have less to risk in terms of gender capital by staying at the table, and a less likely presence of the second shift, their reduced likelihood to separate – or at least the fewer distinct circumstances that would cause them to separate- means they can have a deeper presence in the game and feel less negative about needing to exit, because their reasons would have more to do with other duties, such as work. This would posit that men can be more upset, frustrated, and annoyed when other players have to disengage and threaten their personal time in game. R1: Is there evidence of a gaming capital represented by a value to being at the table for a tabletop roleplaying game? R2: Are there differences between how men, women, and nonbinary players navigate gender capital in terms of engagement and their other responsibilities? Method This correlational research examined the association between gender and circumstances of disengaging from play in a trpg setting. To measure this, a mixed method survey was constructed with both quantitative and qualitative questions. The nature of the questions were in four categories: (a) basic demographics about the individual, their history of play, and the amount of time they play, (b) attitudinal measurement questions to demonstrate the importance of gaming to the individual, (c) perceptual questions about how deeply individuals are immersed in the game, and (d) free answer questions regarding what is brings the individual to the table, and experiences that would conceptually remove them from the table. The attitudinal and perceptual questions are measured on 5-point Likert scales, allowing for easy collection of median and mode, and the interpretation of correlation between gender as the dependent variable. The initial desire was to have a random, voluntary sample of 200–250 self-identified tabletop gamers. However, the final count for the time of the survey was 812 survey participants, with a wide variance in terms of their demographics. The table below provides information. Table 1 Demographics Total Number (24 did not answer) Women Men Nonbinary 226 (28%) 462 (56%) 109 (13%) Queer (other than heterosexual) 166 149 105 White 194 404 102 Black 8 15 1 Other Race 24 42 6 Married 83 230 26 It should be noted that the sample includes a significant number of individuals who define themselves as non-binary, representing 13% of respondents. Further, a smaller than expected percent of self-identified women responded to the survey, representing nearly three-tenths of all respondents. The research will detail the degree to which they were impacted by gaming capital and gender capital the same as for those who define themselves as men and women. This research was approved by our institution’s Institutional Review Board prior to the testing of the survey. The research team submitted a draft of the survey, a codebook, advertising materials, and the informed consent that each participant would complete. The study was granted an exemption by the Institutional Review Board, under the Code of Federal Regulations Title 45 § 46.101(b), and thus cleared to begin. Once approved, the survey was set up on Qualtrics, and a pilot was done to five individuals to test usability. Upon analysis of the pilot data and experiences of the pilot respondents, the survey was finalized, and advertising was done. The survey was advertised online to twenty (20) gaming sites, where individuals who play tabletop role playing games regularly engage. The research time made sure to look for diverse sites, so trpg sites that catered to women, queer-identified individuals, and people of color were specifically chosen in addition to sites that welcomed a broader population. Participants were offered the possibility of entry for a $ 50 Amazon gift card for competing the survey, if they willingly provided an email address that would remain unlinked to the data. 94 percent of those who answered the survey opted to provide their email address. The 812 surveys were all collected in a period between August 2022 and October 2022. Results Sample general characteristics Beyond the breakdown of gender as discussed above, there were other interesting characteristics to the overall demographics. The sample was overwhelmingly White, with about 86% of the overall sample identifying with that racial category. Those who identify as men were more likely to label their sexual orientation as heterosexual (68%) where 44% of the women and nonbinary respondents identified as bisexual. Forty-nine percent of the men reported themselves as married, while the women and nonbinary populations reported nearly equal splits between “married”, “in a relationship” and “single” categories. The majority of the sample had no children at home, but men were more likely to report being parents, with 35% of respondents reporting at least one child under 18 at home. The mean age for the sample was 33, with men skewing slightly younger than the women and nonbinary parts of the sample. Job Data A series of questions were asked regarding types of work individuals did, how much they work, and their dedication and commitment to their jobs. The sample was overwhelmingly employed with 82% of women respondents and 88% of men indicating they were employed full-time, part-time, or self-employed. About 7% of men and women identified as students. Additionally, questions were asked to detail the degree of business one has with home responsibilities. Table 2 Job difficulty and enjoyment Men Women Nonbinary # Mean # Mean # Mean How difficult do you rate your job? (0–10) 380 3.78 184 3.68 79 3.65 How much do you enjoy your job? (0–10) 378 6.46 182 6.64 79 6.32 While rates of perceived difficulty and enjoyment of jobs were similar, nonbinary individuals were less likely to see their job as difficult or complex, while women were more likely to enjoy their job. To compound these data, women (18%) were more likely than men (13%) to report they had jobs that often-required work outside of their regular work schedule. Regarding how many hours on average participants spent on home responsibilities, about 90% of women indicated they spend between 0–4 hours, with about half of women indicating they spend 2–4 hours per day. For men, the numbers are comparable, with about 85% of men indicating they spend between 0–4 hours on home responsibilities. In terms of individual responsibilities, both had analogous reports of cleaning, but women (24%) were much more likely than men (13%) to report being a caregiver to adults or children. TRPG Demographic data A series of questions were posed regarding trpg participation. Respondents were asked how often they played trpgs. As the data indicates below, the most common frequency was monthly, with minor variances in play. In general, regardless of gender, individuals appear to play in similar patterns. Table 3 Frequency of play Weekly Men Women Nonbinary 189 (47%) 91 (46%) 47 (53%) Monthly 74 (18%) 24 (12%) 11 (12%) Every other week 103 (26%) 53 (27%) 24 (27%) Every 2 months 16 (4%) 14 (7%) 3 (3%) Less frequently than ever 2 months 19 (5%) 17 (8%) 4 (5%) Participants were asked how they preferred to play TRPGs. As the charts demonstrate, women and men were similar in their gameplay methods, with most indicating online play. However, women were slightly more likely to play hybrid, with some players being in person and others playing online. Respondents were also asked what their preferred way was of playing TRPGs with both women and men overwhelmingly choosing in person play (both at 73%). When asked how important it was to have time for gaming, nonbinary participants (74%) were more like than women (65%) and men (61%) to indicate it is ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ important to have time. Game scheduling A series of questions were asked regarding issues related to game scheduling, utilizing 5-point Likert scales. Results, distinguished by gender, are detailed below. Table 4 Game Scheduling Men Women Nonbinary Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD It can be difficult to get into game because of my non game responsibilities 2.76 1.21 2.56 1.20 2.51 1.12 Work and other commitments have a tendency to pull me away from game sessions 3.06 1.22 3.00 1.30 3.24 1.22 I have the ability to prioritize the game, so other things don’t conflict 2.28 .97 2.36 1.12 2.35 1.01 If someone from my household or work calls or messages during a time I’m scheduled to game, I would be fine with ignoring the call/text 2.9 1.32 2.75 1.37 2.71 1.32 Sometimes between work and things I need to do at home, I’m just too tired to commit to a gaming session 2.86 1.2 2.48 1.26 2.33 1.15 I get distracted by the possibility of things happening at home that might need my attention 3.48 1.16 3.57 1.22 3.61 1.07 I’ve had to often step away from games due to something happening at home (even just taking a call/returning a message) 3.33 1.26 3.43 1.37 3.38 1.36 If I was unable to finish my chores/duties at home before a game, I am not playing the game; I will finish the chores 3.59 1.30 4.08 1.16 4.02 1.03 If I don’t do the things at home that need to get done, they simply won’t get done 2.71 1.29 2.26 1.23 2.55 1.20 The data show that women are more likely to agree or strongly agree in nearly every axis. The areas where women and nonbinary significantly differ from men are in regard to committing to a gaming session where 64% of women, and 70% of nonbinary, respondents responded other work may tire them out (compared to 47% of men), and in regard to chores not getting done if they do not personally do them. Men have higher rates of agreeing in only three axes: the ability to prioritize the game, the likelihood to not participate because of other commitments, and the possibility of getting distracted by things happening at home. This significance will be discussed later. Gaming attitudes Respondents were also asked about their attitudes about the game as it is situated in their lives, with questions speaking to the importance of gaming time, the seriousness of gaming to the respondent, and how to they react to others in regard to their handling of the game. Table 5 Gaming Attitudes Men Women Nonbinary Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Gaming is more of a luxury, when I actually have time 2.78 1.08 2.94 1.19 2.77 1.13 My personal time is precious and I protect it 3.90 1.1 4.0 1.15 4.28 .87 When I’m gaming, that is “me” time, and I prefer not to be disturbed 3.73 1.13 3.78 1.16 3.95 1.08 People in my life know I take my gaming very seriously 3.71 1.16 3.64 1.23 3.68 1.25 Trpgs take a lot of coordination, so people should respect that and try not to disturb others 3.78 1.05 3.86 1.03 3.98 .91 I get irritated when other people at the table bring their real-world problems to the table 2.59 1.15 2.36 1.23 1.97 1.07 I work hard to keep my real-world issues out of the game 3.27 1.16 3.16 1.22 3.00 1.19 I try to shut out distraction (e.g. phone on silent, no texting) while I am playing the game 3.35 1.15 3.24 1.25 3.10 1.27 I feel guilty about gaming; there’s work or other household stuff I could do 2.22 1.22 2.24 1.35 1.90 1.10 Because I make time for gaming, I assume most of the group has the same commitment 3.52 1.02 3.30 1.22 3.25 1.23 I get bothered when someone leaves the game for something outside the game 2.89 1.24 2.48 1.29 2.2 1.21 Generally, percentages were close, with men, women, and binary respondents reporting at comparable rates that they agree to some degree with the comments. Of note however, is that women were twice as more likely than men and a third more likely than nonbinary respondents to strongly agree with the notion that gaming is a luxury when they have time, and that they feel guilty when there are other activities to be done. Further, men are measurably more likely to agree with being negatively impacted when other players either bring in their issues or leaves the game, notably more likely to agree in both instances than women and nonbinary individuals. Qualitative responses In addition to the quantitative questions, the survey included six free answer questions that collected data to be qualitatively analyzed. Collectively, these questions asked about connectivity to the gaming table: the biggest attraction, what pulls an individual in, and what is most is the most likely circumstance to pull them away from the gaming table. Additionally, participants were asked about their personal experiences: how they felt about when they have to be pulled away from table/game, a situation where their personal issues had to pull them away, and their biggest barrier to “immersion”, or being fully invested in the gaming experience. Questions were field tested with a pilot group of gamers. Once data were collected, they were analyzed via thematic analysis using values coding, to group them into themes, particularly centering notions of gamer capital and gender, particularly the second shift (Saldana 2011 ;2025). Figure 4 notes the questions asked: Emerging trends and themes were both similar and distinct based on gender. When asked about the biggest attraction and what pulls players in, overwhelmingly the respondents cited some aspect of social interaction such as friendships, connections and the ability to share a collective experience with others. One respondent who identified as a man indicated he enjoyed ”inhabiting a different world and character together with friends”, while a woman respondent similarly noted her “favorite people all in the same space is always a good time”, which is related to “being able to spend time with my friends doing a shared activity” said by a nonbinary survey participant. The interesting difference is that men were more likely to indicate some aspect of storytelling as an attraction, in terms of building a narrative and telling a story. This comment by men was seen about 21% of the time, which was notably higher than the responses from women and nonbinary participants. In sociolinguistics, this aligns with the work of Jen Coates ( 2008 ), who highlights the importance of storytelling in masculine discourses. Stories carry a measure of masculine gender capital, an important point in a leisure activity that is centered on stories. When asked what is most likely to pull them away from the table, all groups were more likely to cite the needs of others: family, friends, pets, or others outside of the game that would have a circumstance that would require the attention of the participant. What is notable is that about 14% of women cited their own mental health needs as something that might cause them to self-select from playing; this number was significantly smaller than in the responses of nonbinary individuals (8%) and men (5%). Men were more likely than the other groups to reference their own exhaustion as a reason for pulling away from the table; about 9% of men indicated this compared to negligible numbers of women and nonbinary individuals. One of the biggest disparities based on gender, in terms of responses to the qualitative questions, came regarding the question asking “How responsible do you feel to others at the table to be present? Would you feel guilty if you couldn’t be at a game?” Nearly 61% of women provided a response that they would feel guilty, with some providing sizable responses to note their level of responsibility to the group. One respondent pointed out “I feel guilty, but I hope they understand”. This was common with the expressions of guilt, with many women noting a confidence that others in the group would not feel negatively about them, but such knowledge would not assuage their guilt. Men were much less likely to feel guilty, with only about 18% of the respondents noting that they would have guilt about not participating. Further, in 11% of the responses affirming a lack of guilt, some permutation of “people get busy” emerged from the data. Nonbinary individuals reported a feeling of guilt about 28% of the time and were more likely to qualify their perception of guilt (e.g. “a little guilty”, “somewhat guilty”). In response to the question “what is your biggest barrier to immersion? What is the one thing that keeps you from being “all in” at the gaming table, and why is this your biggest barrier”, men were twice as more likely to cite external barriers (other players, technology, minor issues) than women, as women respondents were more likely to indicate internal reasons for their lack of immersion (e.g. their anxiety, their health, their connection to the game, etc.). Interestingly, nonbinary respondents were more likely than either men and women to indicate “nothing” or reference their own agency in making sure they are invested into the game. While these results might not be necessarily significant, they do potentially speak to a personalization that occurs with women players that is not present with men or nonbinary players. This distinction opens the possibility of new questions in terms of personal responsibility and the gaming table. Discussion The data supports the presence of a gaming capital, and that certain aspects of the game, such as being present, have distinct value to those who play tabletop role playing games. There is a communal effort to tabletop games, meaning a commitment to play is the work of a microculture rather than an individual choice. However, stressors at the micro/individual level can threaten if one is present. But that presence is important, and the data show that all participants consider being consistently at the table is a key element of gaming capital. Moreover, this reflects that a loyalty to the microculture of the table is represented as that capital. All respondents reported a high level of consistent play, half of the respondents reported playing weekly. While that might be minimized, given the other commitments of an adult life (e.g. work, family, household, other social), it bears noting that half of the sample commit to the activity on a weekly basis. This is a gaming capital because presence is not only important to the individual, but also to the gaming table. In terms of gender capital, what is fascinating is the resulting information from the qualitative data. Men and women are more likely to fall into particular gendered communicative patterns related to stereotypical ideas about groups. Women are assumed to be more emotionally aware, and as such, are more likely to admit guilt when they feel like they fail the group. Men are more likely to be able to demarcate work from leisure, and indicate a greater tendency to be nonplussed about others being to busy to game. Overall, the data collected in the survey illustrates descriptive differences in the gender capital that surround tabletop role playing games for women, men and nonbinary individuals. And these nongame commitments may be significant in their lives; most survey respondents reported at least some difficulty immersing themselves into the game due to their non-game commitments. The ability to break away and be present is then a gaming capital that should be noted. One of the elements that manifested was the sense of emotional responsibility to the game. As the gameplay data shows, men, women and nonbinary participants all enjoyed the social aspects of the game and saw the value in socially connecting with each other. This is buttressed by the data showing in person was the preferred way to play for all groups. In short, players enjoy the interaction with others, and the spontaneous conversations that can result when individuals are sharing the same physical space. Cover ( 2014 ) refers to this as a framing discourse, which involves various elements of “small talk” that aren’t generated by the content of play, but that are spurred by the social aspect of play. This relates highly to what Dashiell ( 2021 ) refers to as metadiscourse, or supplemental conversation that is not necessarily integral to play, but a type of conversation that would not exist if not for the act of gameplay. The type of social chaos that can result from friends and acquaintances coming together to play a game is something that was valuable to all respondents. One difference is the emotional burden that is placed on different groups. The qualitative and quantitative data suggests differentiated levels of emotional involvement, with women more likely to feel guilty if the game cannot be completed, or to feel emotionally responsible for letting others down if they were unable to participate. This supports gender socialized expectations of women to be more likely to be emotionally involved and committed to a game. This is not to say that it was a circumstance of polar opposites; plenty of survey respondents who were men did show an emotional connection to the game and felt some level of personal responsibility to the game to encourage feelings of guilt if they did not participate. However, as would be expected in circumstances of gender capital and the burden of the second shift, women were much more likely to express feelings of guilt, compared to men who were far more likely to characterize their experience as “just a game” and express understanding if they, or others, could not commit. In that way, gaming – which is supposed to be a leisure activity that provides a level of fun and entertainment – takes on the form of another element of the second shift for women and nonbinary players. This means that women are much more likely to communicate an emotional burden in relation to the game, which potentially saps both physical and emotional energy. As expected in the research model, the data did support that men were slightly more likely to be annoyed or bothered when people could not play the game. While men, women and nonbinary participants were equally likely to recognize the demarcation between the game as play and work, the items noted that would pull survey respondents from the game were consistent with elements that would excuse them from work. As the data showed, women and nonbinary were significantly more likely than men to say that other responsibilities and their own self-care would be among the possible items that would remove them from a game session. Men were much more likely to signal work or external needs (other people). To punctuate the significance of this, it should be noted the question specifically asked ‘beyond work’ what would provide rationale to exit from the game. While a negligible number of women and nonbinaries, less than 1 percent, indicated work as a reason, nearly 5% of men still provided it as a reason they would not be a part of the game. Given that men were significantly more likely to cite work as a reason to disengage or excuse oneself from the game, there is evidence that the two spheres idea is alive and well in gaming spaces, where work needs become principal and the game, and leisure, are less valued. Related, become women and nonbinary participants were more likely to cite other responsibilities outside of the work sphere, there is evidence that within the second shift, the idea of gaming is shifted to the bottom of the possible list, presumably because of it being seen as personal or self-serving versus other responsibilities. This would explain the guilt expressed by women and non-binary players; their actions of separation are taking away from the joy of others, so they’d be less inclined to step away from the table unless it is necessary. Conclusion This research looks specifically at issues which intersect with capital – gender capital and gaming capital. While these concepts have been more broadly alluded to in past research, this mixed method approach represents an effort to conceptualize gender capital and gaming capital in action in tabletop role playing spaces. There are distinct differences in the manner that men, women and nonbinary players both come to the table and stay at the table. While these are not opposite, the data could support the idea that women are conscious of a gaming capital, and that their presence and absence demonstrate a degree to which they have internalized that they would be perceived as committed to the microculture of the gaming table. These data are limited by the smaller number of women and nonbinary identified players compared to the number of men. Recruitment of a more balanced sample proved to be difficult, even given targeted outreach and efforts to reach particularly women who are tabletop gamers. This may indicate that women make up a sizable number of players, but do not engage in other social media and gamer-adjacent spaces where recruitment would be done. The same could be true of racially and ethnically diverse gamers, given the small representation in the sample. Regardless, there is a need to be pinpointed if researchers wish to find these populations; simply because they are disconnected from gaming social networks does not mean they are not present or numerous. More likely, women and racially diverse populations have differing levels of need for these resources, particularly given how some of these spaces can prove toxic in their discourses. Future research should look more deeply at the contours of the differences in gaming and gender capital, and the way table interactions might differ in these groups. Further, research can take a deeper look at table microculture, to understand the composition of these spaces, and whether that makes a difference in what gender capital is valued, and how gaming capital plays itself out. For example, rules lawyering can provide gaming capital and is often seen as a gendered behavior. At female-dominated tables, is there less rules lawyering? Given the variance and complexity of table microculture, it could prove valuable to understand what capital is preferred and how it is enacted. Declarations The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Ethical Consideration This study was approved by the university Institutional Review Board and operated with its support. Consent to Participate This study included in the preliminary screen for the online survey a consent to participate. All participants were required to provide consent to progress to the survey. Declaration of Conflicting Interests The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Funding Statement The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Data Availability Statement Interested parties are encouraged to contact the author(s) for copies of data that was gathered for this study. References Apperley, T., & Walsh, C. (2012). What digital games and literacy have in common: a heuristic for understanding pupils' gaming literacy. Literacy , 46 (3), 115–122. Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood. Bridges, T. S. (2009). Gender capital and male bodybuilders. Body & Society , 15 (1), 83–107. Casas, F. (2013). Video games: Between parents and children. Children, technology and culture (pp. 42–57). Routledge. Coates, J. (2008). Men talk: Stories in the making of masculinities . Wiley. Condis, M. (2018). Gaming masculinity: Trolls, fake geeks, and the gendered battle for online culture . University of Iowa. Consalvo, M. (2007). Cheating: Gaining Advantage in Video Games . The MIT Press Cambridge. Cote, A. C. (2017). I can defend myself women’s strategies for coping with harassment while gaming online. Games and culture , 12 (2), 136–155. Cote, A. C. (2020). Gaming sexism: Gender and identity in the era of casual video games. Gaming Sexism . New York University. Cover, J. G. (2014). The creation of narrative in tabletop role-playing games . McFarland. Dashiell, S. (2017). Rules Lawyering as Symbolic and Linguistic Capital. Analog Game Studies , 5 , 3. Dashiell, S. L. (2020). Hooligans at the table: The concept of male preserves in tabletop role-playing games. International Journal of Role-Playing , 10 , 26–39. Dashiell, S. (2021). Table Talk: Defining Metadiscourse of Analog Games. Acta Ludologica , 4 (2), 96–107. Dashiell, S. (2022). Chasing the Dragon (Magazine): Gender Erasure through Discourse in Dragon Magazine, 1978–2005. Cultural Studies↔ Critical Methodologies , 22 (6), 620–630. Dashiell, S., & Phelps, A. (2023). Analyzing gender capital in Grand Theft Auto social media conversations. Media Culture & Society , 45 (8), 1648–1664. Devereaux, T. (2023). The Erasure of Asian Gamers: The Gaming Industry as a Racialized Social Structure i. Sociation , 22 (1). Duckworth, J. D., & Buzzanell, P. M. (2009). Constructing work-life balance and fatherhood: Men's framing of the meanings of both work and family. Communication Studies , 60 (5), 558–573. Fox, J., & Tang, W. Y. (2017). Sexism in video games and the gaming community. New perspectives on the social aspects of digital gaming (pp. 115–135). Routledge. Hochschild, A., & Machung, A. (2012). The Second Shift: Working Families and the Revolution at Home . Penguin. Huppatz, K. (2009). Reworking bourdieu'sCapital': Feminine and female capitals in the field of paid caring work. Sociology , 43 (1), 45–66. Huppatz, K., & Goodwin, S. (2013). Masculinised jobs, feminised jobs and men’s ‘gender capital’experiences: Understanding occupational segregation in Australia. Journal of Sociology , 49 (2–3), 291–308. Kafai, Y. B., Heeter, C., Denner, J., & Sun, J. Y. (Eds.). (2011). Beyond Barbie and Mortal Kombat: New perspectives on gender and gaming . MIT Press. Kendall, L. (2000). Oh no! I'm a nerd! Hegemonic masculinity on an online forum. Gender & Society , 14 (2), 256–274. Kimmel, M. (1996). Manhood in America: a cultural history . Free. Korkeila, H., & Harviainen, J. T. (2023). Gaming capital in contemporary role-playing game platforms. International Journal of Role-Playing , 14 , 91–99. Lee, R. C. (2021). Are Video Games a Waste of Time? Take a Stand! (pp. 13–18). Routledge. Paaßen, B., Morgenroth, T., & Stratemeyer, M. (2017). What is a true gamer? The male gamer stereotype and the marginalization of women in video game culture. Sex Roles , 76 , 421–435. Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. Touchstone Saldana, J. (2011). Fundamentals of qualitative research . Oxford University Press. Saldaña, J. (2025). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Sage. Salter, A., & Blodgett, B. (2012). Hypermasculinity & dickwolves: The contentious role of women in the new gaming public. Journal of broadcasting & electronic media , 56 (3), 401–416. Sanzari, C. M., Dennis, A., & Moss-Racusin, C. A. (2021). Should I stay or should I go? Penalties for briefly de‐prioritizing work or childcare. Journal of Applied Social Psychology , 51 (4), 334–349. Schott, G. R., & Horrell, K. R. (2000). Girl gamers and their relationship with the gaming culture. Convergence , 6 (4), 36–53. Scoats, R., & Maloney, M. (2024). ‘I think it takes balls, girl balls, to challenge those stereotypes’: Women’s perceptions of board game culture. European Journal of Cultural Studies , 13675494241264202. Thornham, H. (2008). It's A Boy Thing Gaming, gender, and geeks. Feminist Media Studies , 8 (2), 127–142. Todd, C. (2012). Troubling’gender in virtual gaming spaces. New Zealand Geographer , 68 (2), 101–110. West, C., & Zimmerman, D. H. (1987). Doing gender. Gender & society , 1 (2), 125–115. Wharton, C. S. (1994). Finding time for the second shift: The impact of flexible work schedules on women's double days. Gender & Society , 8 (2), 189–205. Winn, J., & Heeter, C. (2009). Gaming, gender, and time: Who makes time to play? Sex roles , 61 , 1–13. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. 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Specifically, tabletop role playing games have been throughout the last fifty years have been seen as time commitments, with common reports of significant hours spent playing at the gaming table. Much of the past research on time and gaming questions a negative correlation between time playing games and time spent not doing other vital activities (Casas, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; Lee, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Thereby, this research relates to the assertion of Putnam (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e) that contemporary leisure activities, not seen as \u0026ldquo;social\u0026rdquo; are subsuming more social events from the past. However, tabletop gaming represents a collective commitment to the game; while research has looked at issues of gaming involvement and \u0026ldquo;time sink\u0026rdquo; (event that requires a significant amount of time) with digital games, most of these circumstances concern only an individual player, and not the collective obligation of multiple people in a particular time. Behaviorally, this might impact how much time any player can and would spend at the table, and out of a sense of loyalty to other players, could potentially encourage them to stay for longer periods.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat, then, would pull an individual away from a game? This research looks deeply at what social elements counter some of the arguments of Putnam, and actively pull individuals away from the table. Because gender outlays a differing level of social commitments, particularly domestic commitments, to those identified as women, the researchers posited if women, men and nonbinary players would have different elements that pulled them away from the table, because of the effects of different forms of capital. The findings suggest that all things considered, while all individuals have an agency in terms of getting to the gaming table, the additional gendered responsibilities of women, and the gender capital that would be compromised by staying, impacts the gaming capital of women at the table. Conversely, this suggests the gaming space as less confining for men, lending credence to the idea of a gaming space as a male preserve (Dashiell \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eBackground\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe issue of gender in games has been discussed from the perspective of a question of diversity (Kafai et al, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e; Salter and Blodgett, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e). Gaming spaces are generally recognized as male-dominated spaces, with women being newer additions to the subculture (Schott and Horrell, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e; Thornham, 2009; Scoats and Maloney, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e; Todd, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e). The presence of the gamer assumes a nerd masculinity that most gamers perform to interact with others (Condis, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Kendall, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e; Paaßen, Morgenroth, and Stratemeyer, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). However, research has speculated the degree to which women, like minorities, have been present but simply erased based on their adherence to norms that mask the varying identities in the gaming world (Dashiell, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Devereaux, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Regardless of how long gender diversity has been present in the gaming subculture, misogyny and heterosexism are still crosses that must be borne (Cote, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Fox and Tang, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Thereby, women, along with other diverse populations, have developed discursive and performative tools to cement their position in game space, and combat the discriminatory harms they might face (Cote, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Dashiell and Phelps, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCapital is defined by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu as resources that can be converted in a space to have value in either a physical or conceptual form (1986). Ludic scholars have built upon the idea, with Consalvo (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e) theorizing the presence of gaming capital, which has been considered by Korkeila and Harviainen (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e) as “the resources an individual gains or has at their disposal during the gaming session” (p.92). This gaming capital can be linked to other types of valued components, such as symbolic and linguistic capital, which assert and reinforce position in gaming spaces (Dashiell, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Additionally expanding on the ideas of Bourdieu, scholars have noted the existence of gender capital, representing actions, knowledges, and possessions that have significant value when done in the frame of particular gendered embodiment (Bridges, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e; Huppatz, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e). In other words, some aspects of the social world are more valued when they are done by men, versus done by women (e.g. a “man who can cook” is seen as a prize in the dating world, where there’s no value to a woman who can cook, given she is expected to do so). At times, particularly when operating in a space dominated by a differing gender, individuals must adopt and modify their interactions, the way their gender is “done”, in order to be seen as appropriate (Huppatz and Godwin, 2013; West and Zimmerman, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1987\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWomen must contend with notions of their space in relation to the social world, particularly in the home. There is a second shift women must contend with, defined as the unpaid labor that is expected of them in the home space beyond their formal employment, such as childcare, cleaning and cooking (Hochschild and Manchung, 1989). Beyond being physically committed, the second shift requires an emotional response of devotion to others, which at times displaces the needs and desires of women as secondary to the requirements of the household (Sanzari, Dennis, and Moss-Racusin, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Wharton, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1994\u003c/span\u003e). Men retain the ability to prioritize their work, and to use that as a litmus test of their overall success (Duckworth and Buzzanell, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e). Thereby, gender difference exists in perceptions of leisure, and how it can be ranked in importance (Winn and Heeter, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTheoretical Framework\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis research works under a premise that within the tabletop gaming space there are two forces at work: gaming capital and gender capital. Being at the table represents a form of gaming capital, and thus leaving is detrimental. However, for women, staying when there is an external, particularly domestic, commitment would be antithetical to an understood gender capital of women. By dint of this circumstance, men can maintain a deeper boundary between gaming and other responsibilities and can then receive some social benefit in terms of their gaming capital. This work synthesizes two prevailing ideas in game studies, which are centered around a practice theory approach to game culture analysis shared by a diverse group of researchers (Apperley and Walsh \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e; Consalvo \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e; Dashiell \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Korkeila and Harviainen, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). This school of gaming research has postulated there is a gaming capital that exists and represents the expansive elements of the gaming world which have internal value (Consalvo, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e). So cultural artifacts such as the possession of gamebooks have distinct value in the gaming subculture, but so do more abstract concepts such as time spent as a player and attendance of larger conferences. To that end, being at the tabletop role-playing game (TRPG) table represents a form of gaming capital, but also allows individuals to augment and refine other types of capital valuable for players, such as symbolic capital and linguistic capital (Dashiell \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Using that as a model, the idea would be that leaving the table – for whatever reason that is not associated with a proper adjournment – would cost a player gaming capital. Thereby, if women are more likely to exit the table due to social commitments that would pull them away, then they would prove unable to amass as much capital as their male counterparts.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBecause this research interrogates the topic of gender, then a similar concept in practice theory, gender capital, must also be considered. According to Huppatz and Goodwin (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e), gender capital represents the reality “that both femininity and masculinity are resources that are drawn on both consciously and unconsciously with varying success in movements through social space” (p. 297). Importantly, to succeed in male dominated spaces, women must at times utilize masculine gender capital, whereas men can in some circumstances benefit from employing a feminine gender capital. As gaming subculture is a male dominated space, it has norms and values that privilege those who are understood as men and masculine in Western society. Women, then, employ gaming capital, which is in many instances a masculine gender capital. However, this theory postulates that women leave gaming spaces due to outside efforts because of the imbalance in capitals. In short, if a woman dismissed her socially understood duties in favor of gaming, she would suffer due to the gender capital lost rather than the gaming capital gained. Thereby, this idea is very much aligned with the second shift of Arlie Hochschild (1989), which denotes the responsibilities of women, beyond their occupation, that are expected to be performed in the household. This research proposes that because men have less to risk in terms of gender capital by staying at the table, and a less likely presence of the second shift, their reduced likelihood to separate – or at least the fewer distinct circumstances that would cause them to separate- means they can have a deeper presence in the game and feel less negative about needing to exit, because their reasons would have more to do with other duties, such as work. This would posit that men can be more upset, frustrated, and annoyed when other players have to disengage and threaten their personal time in game.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eR1: Is there evidence of a gaming capital represented by a value to being at the table for a tabletop roleplaying game?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eR2: Are there differences between how men, women, and nonbinary players navigate gender capital in terms of engagement and their other responsibilities?\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Method","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis correlational research examined the association between gender and circumstances of disengaging from play in a trpg setting. To measure this, a mixed method survey was constructed with both quantitative and qualitative questions. The nature of the questions were in four categories: (a) basic demographics about the individual, their history of play, and the amount of time they play, (b) attitudinal measurement questions to demonstrate the importance of gaming to the individual, (c) perceptual questions about how deeply individuals are immersed in the game, and (d) free answer questions regarding what is brings the individual to the table, and experiences that would conceptually remove them from the table. The attitudinal and perceptual questions are measured on 5-point Likert scales, allowing for easy collection of median and mode, and the interpretation of correlation between gender as the dependent variable.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe initial desire was to have a random, voluntary sample of 200–250 self-identified tabletop gamers. However, the final count for the time of the survey was 812 survey participants, with a wide variance in terms of their demographics. The table below provides information.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" class=\"colspec\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" class=\"colspec\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" class=\"colspec\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003ctable id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDemographics\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal Number (24 did not answer)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWomen\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMen\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNonbinary\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e226 (28%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e462 (56%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e109 (13%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQueer (other than heterosexual)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e166\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e149\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e105\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhite\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e194\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e404\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e102\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBlack\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOther Race\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e83\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e230\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt should be noted that the sample includes a significant number of individuals who define themselves as non-binary, representing 13% of respondents. Further, a smaller than expected percent of self-identified women responded to the survey, representing nearly three-tenths of all respondents. The research will detail the degree to which they were impacted by gaming capital and gender capital the same as for those who define themselves as men and women.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e This research was approved by our institution’s Institutional Review Board prior to the testing of the survey. The research team submitted a draft of the survey, a codebook, advertising materials, and the informed consent that each participant would complete. The study was granted an exemption by the Institutional Review Board, under the Code of Federal Regulations Title 45 §\u0026nbsp;46.101(b), and thus cleared to begin. Once approved, the survey was set up on Qualtrics, and a pilot was done to five individuals to test usability. Upon analysis of the pilot data and experiences of the pilot respondents, the survey was finalized, and advertising was done. The survey was advertised online to twenty (20) gaming sites, where individuals who play tabletop role playing games regularly engage. The research time made sure to look for diverse sites, so trpg sites that catered to women, queer-identified individuals, and people of color were specifically chosen in addition to sites that welcomed a broader population. Participants were offered the possibility of entry for a \u003cspan\u003e$\u003c/span\u003e50 Amazon gift card for competing the survey, if they willingly provided an email address that would remain unlinked to the data. 94 percent of those who answered the survey opted to provide their email address. The 812 surveys were all collected in a period between August 2022 and October 2022.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eSample general characteristics\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eBeyond the breakdown of gender as discussed above, there were other interesting characteristics to the overall demographics. The sample was overwhelmingly White, with about 86% of the overall sample identifying with that racial category. Those who identify as men were more likely to label their sexual orientation as heterosexual (68%) where 44% of the women and nonbinary respondents identified as bisexual. Forty-nine percent of the men reported themselves as married, while the women and nonbinary populations reported nearly equal splits between \u0026ldquo;married\u0026rdquo;, \u0026ldquo;in a relationship\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;single\u0026rdquo; categories. The majority of the sample had no children at home, but men were more likely to report being parents, with 35% of respondents reporting at least one child under 18 at home. The mean age for the sample was 33, with men skewing slightly younger than the women and nonbinary parts of the sample.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eJob Data\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA series of questions were asked regarding types of work individuals did, how much they work, and their dedication and commitment to their jobs. The sample was overwhelmingly employed with 82% of women respondents and 88% of men indicating they were employed full-time, part-time, or self-employed. About 7% of men and women identified as students. Additionally, questions were asked to detail the degree of business one has with home responsibilities.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJob difficulty and enjoyment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMen\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWomen\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNonbinary\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e#\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e#\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e#\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHow difficult do you rate your job? (0\u0026ndash;10)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e380\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e184\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.68\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e79\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.65\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHow much do you enjoy your job? (0\u0026ndash;10)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e378\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.46\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e182\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.64\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e79\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhile rates of perceived difficulty and enjoyment of jobs were similar, nonbinary individuals were less likely to see their job as difficult or complex, while women were more likely to enjoy their job. To compound these data, women (18%) were more likely than men (13%) to report they had jobs that often-required work outside of their regular work schedule. Regarding how many hours on average participants spent on home responsibilities, about 90% of women indicated they spend between 0\u0026ndash;4 hours, with about half of women indicating they spend 2\u0026ndash;4 hours per day. For men, the numbers are comparable, with about 85% of men indicating they spend between 0\u0026ndash;4 hours on home responsibilities. In terms of individual responsibilities, both had analogous reports of cleaning, but women (24%) were much more likely than men (13%) to report being a caregiver to adults or children.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTRPG Demographic data\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA series of questions were posed regarding trpg participation. Respondents were asked how often they played trpgs. As the data indicates below, the most common frequency was monthly, with minor variances in play. In general, regardless of gender, individuals appear to play in similar patterns.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency of play\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWeekly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMen\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWomen\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNonbinary\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e189 (47%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e91 (46%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47 (53%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMonthly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e74 (18%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24 (12%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 (12%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvery other week\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e103 (26%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53 (27%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24 (27%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvery 2 months\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16 (4%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14 (7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 (3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLess frequently than ever 2 months\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19 (5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17 (8%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipants were asked how they preferred to play TRPGs. As the charts demonstrate, women and men were similar in their gameplay methods, with most indicating online play. However, women were slightly more likely to play hybrid, with some players being in person and others playing online. Respondents were also asked what their preferred way was of playing TRPGs with both women and men overwhelmingly choosing in person play (both at 73%).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen asked how important it was to have time for gaming, nonbinary participants (74%) were more like than women (65%) and men (61%) to indicate it is \u0026lsquo;extremely\u0026rsquo; or \u0026lsquo;very\u0026rsquo; important to have time.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eGame scheduling\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA series of questions were asked regarding issues related to game scheduling, utilizing 5-point Likert scales. Results, distinguished by gender, are detailed below.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGame Scheduling\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMen\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWomen\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNonbinary\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt can be difficult to get into game because of my non game responsibilities\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e2.76\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1.21\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e2.56\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1.20\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e2.51\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1.12\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWork and other commitments have a tendency to pull me away from game sessions\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e3.06\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1.22\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e3.00\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1.30\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e3.24\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1.22\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eI have the ability to prioritize the game, so other things don\u0026rsquo;t conflict\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.97\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIf someone from my household or work calls or messages during a time I\u0026rsquo;m scheduled to game, I would be fine with ignoring the call/text\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.75\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.71\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSometimes between work and things I need to do at home, I\u0026rsquo;m just too tired to commit to a gaming session\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eI get distracted by the possibility of things happening at home that might need my attention\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.57\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.61\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eI\u0026rsquo;ve had to often step away from games due to something happening at home (even just taking a call/returning a message)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.43\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIf I was unable to finish my chores/duties at home before a game, I am not playing the game; I will finish the chores\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIf I don\u0026rsquo;t do the things at home that need to get done, they simply won\u0026rsquo;t get done\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.71\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe data show that women are more likely to agree or strongly agree in nearly every axis. The areas where women and nonbinary significantly differ from men are in regard to committing to a gaming session where 64% of women, and 70% of nonbinary, respondents responded other work may tire them out (compared to 47% of men), and in regard to chores not getting done if they do not personally do them.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMen have higher rates of agreeing in only three axes: the ability to prioritize the game, the likelihood to not participate because of other commitments, and the possibility of getting distracted by things happening at home. This significance will be discussed later.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eGaming attitudes\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRespondents were also asked about their attitudes about the game as it is situated in their lives, with questions speaking to the importance of gaming time, the seriousness of gaming to the respondent, and how to they react to others in regard to their handling of the game.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGaming Attitudes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMen\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWomen\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNonbinary\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGaming is more of a luxury, when I actually have time\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.94\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.77\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMy personal time is precious and I protect it\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.90\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen I\u0026rsquo;m gaming, that is \u0026ldquo;me\u0026rdquo; time, and I prefer not to be disturbed\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.73\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.95\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePeople in my life know I take my gaming very seriously\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.71\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.64\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.68\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrpgs take a lot of coordination, so people should respect that and try not to disturb others\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.98\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.91\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eI get irritated when other people at the table bring their real-world problems to the table\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.97\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eI work hard to keep my real-world issues out of the game\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eI try to shut out distraction (e.g. phone on silent, no texting) while I am playing the game\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eI feel guilty about gaming; there\u0026rsquo;s work or other household stuff I could do\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.90\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBecause I make time for gaming, I assume most of the group has the same commitment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eI get bothered when someone leaves the game for something outside the game\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.89\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGenerally, percentages were close, with men, women, and binary respondents reporting at comparable rates that they agree to some degree with the comments. Of note however, is that women were twice as more likely than men and a third more likely than nonbinary respondents to strongly agree with the notion that gaming is a luxury when they have time, and that they feel guilty when there are other activities to be done. Further, men are measurably more likely to agree with being negatively impacted when other players either bring in their issues or leaves the game, notably more likely to agree in both instances than women and nonbinary individuals.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eQualitative responses\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to the quantitative questions, the survey included six free answer questions that collected data to be qualitatively analyzed. Collectively, these questions asked about connectivity to the gaming table: the biggest attraction, what pulls an individual in, and what is most is the most likely circumstance to pull them away from the gaming table. Additionally, participants were asked about their personal experiences: how they felt about when they have to be pulled away from table/game, a situation where their personal issues had to pull them away, and their biggest barrier to \u0026ldquo;immersion\u0026rdquo;, or being fully invested in the gaming experience. Questions were field tested with a pilot group of gamers. Once data were collected, they were analyzed via thematic analysis using values coding, to group them into themes, particularly centering notions of gamer capital and gender, particularly the second shift (Saldana \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e;2025). Figure \u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e notes the questions asked:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmerging trends and themes were both similar and distinct based on gender. When asked about the biggest attraction and what pulls players in, overwhelmingly the respondents cited some aspect of social interaction such as friendships, connections and the ability to share a collective experience with others. One respondent who identified as a man indicated he enjoyed \u0026rdquo;inhabiting a different world and character together with friends\u0026rdquo;, while a woman respondent similarly noted her \u0026ldquo;favorite people all in the same space is always a good time\u0026rdquo;, which is related to \u0026ldquo;being able to spend time with my friends doing a shared activity\u0026rdquo; said by a nonbinary survey participant. The interesting difference is that men were more likely to indicate some aspect of storytelling as an attraction, in terms of building a narrative and telling a story. This comment by men was seen about 21% of the time, which was notably higher than the responses from women and nonbinary participants. In sociolinguistics, this aligns with the work of Jen Coates (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e), who highlights the importance of storytelling in masculine discourses. Stories carry a measure of masculine gender capital, an important point in a leisure activity that is centered on stories.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen asked what is most likely to pull them away from the table, all groups were more likely to cite the needs of others: family, friends, pets, or others outside of the game that would have a circumstance that would require the attention of the participant. What is notable is that about 14% of women cited their own mental health needs as something that might cause them to self-select from playing; this number was significantly smaller than in the responses of nonbinary individuals (8%) and men (5%). Men were more likely than the other groups to reference their own exhaustion as a reason for pulling away from the table; about 9% of men indicated this compared to negligible numbers of women and nonbinary individuals.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOne of the biggest disparities based on gender, in terms of responses to the qualitative questions, came regarding the question asking \u0026ldquo;How responsible do you feel to others at the table to be present? Would you feel guilty if you couldn\u0026rsquo;t be at a game?\u0026rdquo; Nearly 61% of women provided a response that they would feel guilty, with some providing sizable responses to note their level of responsibility to the group. One respondent pointed out \u0026ldquo;I feel guilty, but I hope they understand\u0026rdquo;. This was common with the expressions of guilt, with many women noting a confidence that others in the group would not feel negatively about them, but such knowledge would not assuage their guilt. Men were much less likely to feel guilty, with only about 18% of the respondents noting that they would have guilt about not participating. Further, in 11% of the responses affirming a lack of guilt, some permutation of \u0026ldquo;people get busy\u0026rdquo; emerged from the data. Nonbinary individuals reported a feeling of guilt about 28% of the time and were more likely to qualify their perception of guilt (e.g. \u0026ldquo;a little guilty\u0026rdquo;, \u0026ldquo;somewhat guilty\u0026rdquo;).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn response to the question \u0026ldquo;what is your biggest barrier to immersion? What is the one thing that keeps you from being \u0026ldquo;all in\u0026rdquo; at the gaming table, and why is this your biggest barrier\u0026rdquo;, men were twice as more likely to cite external barriers (other players, technology, minor issues) than women, as women respondents were more likely to indicate internal reasons for their lack of immersion (e.g. their anxiety, their health, their connection to the game, etc.). Interestingly, nonbinary respondents were more likely than either men and women to indicate \u0026ldquo;nothing\u0026rdquo; or reference their own agency in making sure they are invested into the game. While these results might not be necessarily significant, they do potentially speak to a personalization that occurs with women players that is not present with men or nonbinary players. This distinction opens the possibility of new questions in terms of personal responsibility and the gaming table.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe data supports the presence of a gaming capital, and that certain aspects of the game, such as being present, have distinct value to those who play tabletop role playing games. There is a communal effort to tabletop games, meaning a commitment to play is the work of a microculture rather than an individual choice. However, stressors at the micro/individual level can threaten if one is present. But that presence is important, and the data show that all participants consider being consistently at the table is a key element of gaming capital. Moreover, this reflects that a loyalty to the microculture of the table is represented as that capital. All respondents reported a high level of consistent play, half of the respondents reported playing weekly. While that might be minimized, given the other commitments of an adult life (e.g. work, family, household, other social), it bears noting that half of the sample commit to the activity on a weekly basis. This is a gaming capital because presence is not only important to the individual, but also to the gaming table. In terms of gender capital, what is fascinating is the resulting information from the qualitative data. Men and women are more likely to fall into particular gendered communicative patterns related to stereotypical ideas about groups. Women are assumed to be more emotionally aware, and as such, are more likely to admit guilt when they feel like they fail the group. Men are more likely to be able to demarcate work from leisure, and indicate a greater tendency to be nonplussed about others being to busy to game.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverall, the data collected in the survey illustrates descriptive differences in the gender capital that surround tabletop role playing games for women, men and nonbinary individuals. And these nongame commitments may be significant in their lives; most survey respondents reported at least some difficulty immersing themselves into the game due to their non-game commitments. The ability to break away and be present is then a gaming capital that should be noted.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOne of the elements that manifested was the sense of emotional responsibility to the game. As the gameplay data shows, men, women and nonbinary participants all enjoyed the social aspects of the game and saw the value in socially connecting with each other. This is buttressed by the data showing in person was the preferred way to play for all groups. In short, players enjoy the interaction with others, and the spontaneous conversations that can result when individuals are sharing the same physical space. Cover (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e) refers to this as a framing discourse, which involves various elements of \u0026ldquo;small talk\u0026rdquo; that aren\u0026rsquo;t generated by the content of play, but that are spurred by the social aspect of play. This relates highly to what Dashiell (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) refers to as metadiscourse, or supplemental conversation that is not necessarily integral to play, but a type of conversation that would not exist if not for the act of gameplay. The type of social chaos that can result from friends and acquaintances coming together to play a game is something that was valuable to all respondents.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOne difference is the emotional burden that is placed on different groups. The qualitative and quantitative data suggests differentiated levels of emotional involvement, with women more likely to feel guilty if the game cannot be completed, or to feel emotionally responsible for letting others down if they were unable to participate. This supports gender socialized expectations of women to be more likely to be emotionally involved and committed to a game. This is not to say that it was a circumstance of polar opposites; plenty of survey respondents who were men did show an emotional connection to the game and felt some level of personal responsibility to the game to encourage feelings of guilt if they did not participate. However, as would be expected in circumstances of gender capital and the burden of the second shift, women were much more likely to express feelings of guilt, compared to men who were far more likely to characterize their experience as \u0026ldquo;just a game\u0026rdquo; and express understanding if they, or others, could not commit. In that way, gaming \u0026ndash; which is supposed to be a leisure activity that provides a level of fun and entertainment \u0026ndash; takes on the form of another element of the second shift for women and nonbinary players. This means that women are much more likely to communicate an emotional burden in relation to the game, which potentially saps both physical and emotional energy. As expected in the research model, the data did support that men were slightly more likely to be annoyed or bothered when people could not play the game.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhile men, women and nonbinary participants were equally likely to recognize the demarcation between the game as play and work, the items noted that would pull survey respondents from the game were consistent with elements that would excuse them from work. As the data showed, women and nonbinary were significantly more likely than men to say that other responsibilities and their own self-care would be among the possible items that would remove them from a game session. Men were much more likely to signal work or external needs (other people). To punctuate the significance of this, it should be noted the question specifically asked \u0026lsquo;beyond work\u0026rsquo; what would provide rationale to exit from the game. While a negligible number of women and nonbinaries, less than 1 percent, indicated work as a reason, nearly 5% of men still provided it as a reason they would not be a part of the game. Given that men were significantly more likely to cite work as a reason to disengage or excuse oneself from the game, there is evidence that the two spheres idea is alive and well in gaming spaces, where work needs become principal and the game, and leisure, are less valued. Related, become women and nonbinary participants were more likely to cite other responsibilities outside of the work sphere, there is evidence that within the second shift, the idea of gaming is shifted to the bottom of the possible list, presumably because of it being seen as personal or self-serving versus other responsibilities. This would explain the guilt expressed by women and non-binary players; their actions of separation are taking away from the joy of others, so they\u0026rsquo;d be less inclined to step away from the table unless it is necessary.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis research looks specifically at issues which intersect with capital \u0026ndash; gender capital and gaming capital. While these concepts have been more broadly alluded to in past research, this mixed method approach represents an effort to conceptualize gender capital and gaming capital in action in tabletop role playing spaces. There are distinct differences in the manner that men, women and nonbinary players both come to the table and stay at the table. While these are not opposite, the data could support the idea that women are conscious of a gaming capital, and that their presence and absence demonstrate a degree to which they have internalized that they would be perceived as committed to the microculture of the gaming table.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThese data are limited by the smaller number of women and nonbinary identified players compared to the number of men. Recruitment of a more balanced sample proved to be difficult, even given targeted outreach and efforts to reach particularly women who are tabletop gamers. This may indicate that women make up a sizable number of players, but do not engage in other social media and gamer-adjacent spaces where recruitment would be done. The same could be true of racially and ethnically diverse gamers, given the small representation in the sample. Regardless, there is a need to be pinpointed if researchers wish to find these populations; simply because they are disconnected from gaming social networks does not mean they are not present or numerous. More likely, women and racially diverse populations have differing levels of need for these resources, particularly given how some of these spaces can prove toxic in their discourses.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFuture research should look more deeply at the contours of the differences in gaming and gender capital, and the way table interactions might differ in these groups. Further, research can take a deeper look at table microculture, to understand the composition of these spaces, and whether that makes a difference in what gender capital is valued, and how gaming capital plays itself out. For example, rules lawyering can provide gaming capital and is often seen as a gendered behavior. At female-dominated tables, is there less rules lawyering? Given the variance and complexity of table microculture, it could prove valuable to understand what capital is preferred and how it is enacted.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthical Consideration\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was approved by the university Institutional Review Board and operated with its support.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent to Participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study included in the preliminary screen for the online survey a consent to participate. \u0026nbsp;All participants were required to provide consent to progress to the survey.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDeclaration of Conflicting Interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding Statement\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData Availability Statement\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInterested parties are encouraged to contact the author(s) for copies of data that was gathered for this study.\u003c/p\u003e\n"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eApperley, T., \u0026amp; Walsh, C. 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Gaming, gender, and time: Who makes time to play? \u003cem\u003eSex roles\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e61\u003c/em\u003e, 1\u0026ndash;13.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"gamer capital, gender capital, tabletop role playing games, practice theory","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9204892/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9204892/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eWhile research has looked at what causes players to be engrossed in tabletop gaming, there has been little investigation into what might pull individuals away from the gaming table. Given that social responsibility sets different work and domestic responsibilities based on gender, there exists the possibility that men, women, and nonbinary players have different circumstances surrounding the phenomena that might call them from the game table. This research examines gender difference, associated norms, and their effect on the ability to deeply participate in gameplay. Drawing from the work on gender capital and gaming capital, the researcher analyzes a mixed method survey of tabletop role-playing gamers. The survey examines what structures are in place to provide the freedom to game, and what real-world constraints participants envision as limiting their ability. Data shows non-game related labor dictates how engaged a player can be at the table, and the impact differs by gender. Analysis affirms that women are impacted differently by gender capital and gaming capital due to real-world concerns that can pull them away and impact their attitudes about their own participation. Gender capital enforces a leisure space between the \u0026ldquo;two spheres\u0026rdquo; which yields men the ability to have less internalization concerning barriers to play, while second shift concerns add to the challenges for women.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Looking behind the curtain: Assessing gender capital and gaming capital in tabletop spaces","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-07 10:25:10","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9204892/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"418ef1ab-f621-4e4e-a824-f679cfb3a798","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 7th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-05-01T09:23:17+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-01T09:20:57+00:00","index":23,"fulltext":""}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-01T09:24:22+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-07 10:25:10","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9204892","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9204892","identity":"rs-9204892","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}