Two Italian Books Explore Women and Video Games

Two recent Italian publications analyze the relationship between women and video games, a field where female players represent 45% of the global gaming population according to Newzoo (2023), yet the industry remains male-dominated. The first book, "PlayHer. Rappresentazioni femminili nei videogiochi" by Giulia Martino and Francesco Toniolo (Tlon, 2025, €18), examines female representations in games through chapters on archetypes like the witch, soldier, and entrepreneur, as well as specific characters such as Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil Village and the princess from The Legend of Zelda. It combines a popular tone with academic rigor but focuses on narrative representations rather than the material context of game production. The second book, "Videogioco: Femminile, plurale" by Fabrizia Malgieri, Fiorenzo Pilla, Tiziana Pirola, and Lorena Rao (Ledizioni, 2024, €18), offers a more systematic approach, covering the history of female representation in games, women's labor in the industry, and gaming communities, including overlaps with the manosphere. Malgieri notes that as women's status in the industry improves, so does the representation of female characters. Both books share limitations: they neglect transgender and non-binary perspectives, focus on hardcore console games rather than casual mobile gaming, which is historically associated with women, and fail to address queer aspects of gender.