Do Gaming Habits or Gender Influence the Interest of School-Age Children in Spanish Dance After Playing a Video Game?

Abstract

Videogames have long been a tool to increase students’ interest in different domains. However, its efficiency heavily depends on the players’ profile. This paper considers the relationship between two variables: the players’ gender and their gaming habits. Specifically, it addresses the question of whether the observed influence of gender on the efficacy of videogames is merely a reflection of the different gaming habits between players of different genders. To this end, the authors carried out an experiment with 198 students between the ages of 9 and 11. The experiment relied on the videogame, Bailando un tesoro [Dancing a Treasure], which aims to increase students’ interest in dance. The results show that those accustomed to playing videogames more frequently show an increase in their interest in dance after playing the game. The connection revealed between gender and gaming habits in this study suggests that videogames could be an effective tool to reduce the existing gender gap in terms of interest in dance.