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Dr.
Kathryn Wright is WomenGamers.com's resident consulting psychologist.
With a doctorate in clinical psychology from the Chicago School
of Professional Psychology, she also has had undergraduate training
in Women's Studies. Dr. Wright's articles are both enlightening
and informative, and geared towards issues, effects and roles
of gender in the gaming community.
Dr.
Kathryn Wright, WG consulting psychologist, takes a look
at the role and processes of the ESRB,
its reputation within the industry, and the direction in
which it plans to go given the current political pressures.
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|
 Check
out Part II of A
Look at the ESRB where Dr. Kathryn Wright speaks with
Arthur Pober, President of ESRB, about the function and
procedures of the organization.
AP: "...As an industry we kind of get
painted with a bad paintbrush sometimes, because when the
media wants to show violence they will always take the most
severe, violent videogame and put it on the screen. But
if you take a look at the quotes from the FTC from people
like Senator Lieberman, basically it was said that our self-regulatory
system is the most comprehensive in this country, and I'm
very proud of that."
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| Article |
Description |
| Does
Media Cause Violent Behavior |
With
the recent release of the Federal Trade Commission's report
on the marketing of adult-rated entertainment products to
children, the issue of the effects of violent media again
looms large in the public eye. Read Dr.
Wright's analysis on the effects of violent media in this
latest report. |
| Girls
on Track 2 |
Dr.
Wright and Atari spoke again to the Girls on Track program
held at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC. See what these teenage
girls think of the state of things for females in the gaming
industry. |
| In
Search of Girl Game Publishers |
Riedl
discusses some of the very real barriers to getting girl games
into the retail market as well as the changing perception
that games for girls just can't make money. |
| Sexual
Assault in Games |
Our
purpose is to raise awareness of the important issues involved
here, to present differing opinions on the subject and, as
always, to generate discussion amongst our viewers. |
| The
Sims- In Our OWN Image |
Doctor
K takes a look at the psychology behind the popular game "The
Sims". |
| GDC
2000: Race and Gender in Games |
From
the portrayal of race, sex, and sexual preferences, to the
challenges that we face for the future, Dr Wright has written
up a general summary of what was discussed. |
| Gender
Bending in Games |
Investigating
an intriguing phenomenon: males who play as female characters
(or who use female models, skins, or avatars) in games. |
| Search
for the Techie Woman II |
A
Search for Answers on why there is a dearth of women in computer-related
fields |
| Series
on Internet Safety for Teens |
A
multi-part Dr. Wright Exclusive guide that walks you through
the dangers of the Internet and the Dark side of cyberspace.
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| Search
for the Techie woman |
The
dearth of women in math, science, and computer-related fields
is not new news, but it continues to be important news with
far-reaching implications for women and society in general. |
| Healthy
Hobby or Addiction? |
Dr.
Wright
researches the nature of Internet addiction, facing questions
such as: How
many online hours constitutes an addiction? |
| FreshWAV:
Commentary on Kingpin |
Dr.
Wright is
now featured on FreshWAV.com, a webcast network company that
produces high quality audio programs via the internet. In
the latest commentary, Dr. Wright gives her opinion on the
violence and racial content in Kingpin. |
| Interviewing
Megan Gaiser of HerInteractive |
Dr.
Wright interviews
Megan Gaiser, president and executive producer of HerInteractive.
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| Insight
into the Girl Games BIZ |
Dr.
Kathryn Wright,
our WG consulting psychologist, digs deep in this interview
with Sheri Graner Ray, President of Sirenia Software, Inc.
to find out how one company is targeting the computer game
market for young girls. |
| Girl
Games: Help or Hindrance? |
Dr.
Wright
researches the development of the Girl Games movement: its
history, its proponents, its detractors. |
| Solidarity
Online: Female Gaming Teams |
With
the increased numbers of females playing online games, it
is not surprising that more of them are founding and joining
female gaming teams.
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| The
Gaming Industry & The Female Market |
Despite
the growing female market, the gaming industry has not adequately
responded to the needs and interests of most female gamers.
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| Girls
on Track |
There
are few things more powerful for me than hearing people express
their innermost thoughts and experiences, in their own voices.
And that is just what one group of middle-school girls did
one morning last week. |
| Dr
K. Wright Reviews Kingpin |
I
could not resist saying a few words about this game, as it
is being hyped as one of the most gory and violent games
ever made.
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| Video
Gaming: Myths and Facts |
Computer
gaming is a fairly ubiquitous part of our culture, not a passing
fad. Yet when one looks at the current statistics on who plays
computer games, who buys computer games, and who uses the
Internet, one finds that public perception and the gaming
industry have both been slow to respond to significant demographic
changes. |
| The
inside scoop on Gabriel Knight III |
Dr.
Kathryn Wright
played the Gabriel Knight series and was instantly intrigued.
The "psychologized" aspects of the series caught her interest
including the well-researched stories, complex characters,
use of symbolism, and emphasis on the portrayal of the characters’
emotions. In the following interview, Dr. Wright focuses on
some of these aspects of Jenson’s games. |
Have
a question or a comment? Let me know-
fill out the comment box below.
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A
little about Dr. Kathryn Wright:
As WomenGamers.Com's consulting psychologist, Dr. Wright
is an important part of our team. She received her doctorate
in Clinical Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional
Psychology. She has an abiding interest in issues that pertain
to women, and obtained a concentration in Women's Studies
during her undergraduate training. Additionally, she is
interested in the effects of media and technology on individuals
and on society. She brings her expertise in writing and
research, and a psychological /sociological perspective,
to bear on issues of interest in the gaming community. She
believes that the marketing and contents of computer games,
the digital gender gap, and female computer literacy are
important areas for discussion and change. She thrives on
dialogue and debate, and looks forward to hearing the ideas
and experiences of our members.
Dr.
Kathryn Wright
is also a member of a group practice in Raleigh, North Carolina
(Grew, Morter & Hartye, P.A.), where she provides individual
and couples therapy. She has experience working with a highly
diverse population in terms of age, race, ethnicity, sexual
orientation, and psychological difficulty-- including abused
and neglected children and adolescents, trauma victims,
and chronically mentally ill clients. Her areas of interest
include women's issues, sexuality, cross-cultural psychology,
and the impact of media and technology on individuals and
families. To schedule an appointment, call 919-406-6122.
When
she is not working, Dr. Wright enjoys film, music, travel,
and art; and when she has the time, enjoys playing computer
games. Her favorites include adventure and old-school console
games.
Media
Appearances:
July 28, 1999: WRAL
TV5 News
January 20, 2000: WRAL
TV5 News
January 26, 2000: MSN
Gaming Zone monthly Womengamers.Com chat, with guest
Anne-Marie Huure
February 23, 2000: MSN Gaming Zone monthly WomenGamers.Com
chat,
with guest Sheri Graner Ray of Sirenia.com
July 14, 2000: guest on CNET Radio, San Francisco, CA
July 19, 2000: guest on ZDTV Radio
September 24, 2000: Guest chat
on NPR about The Sims
November 15, 2000: WRAL
TV5 NEWS, Web Savvy Women Finding High-Tech Success
Public
Speaking Engagements:
Topic: "Play Computer Games Today, Create Games
Tomorrow:" The gaming industry needs creative people
with science and math backgrounds to create the games of
the future. Currently there are more boys than girls who
play computer games, are "computer geeks," and who go into
math and computer science careers. This means that girls
are missing out on exciting, high-paying jobs in technology,
and potentially in other fields as well. I discuss some
of the factors that discourage girls from becoming proficient
on the computer, and from pursuing computer science degrees.
I also discuss the links between computer game playing and
computer literacy, the portrayal of females in computer
games, and the changes women are calling for in the
gaming industry.
July
1999: Girls on Track Summer Program, Meredith College, Raleigh,
NC
January 5, 2000: Cary Academy, Science Fair 2000, Cary,
NC
January 6, 2000: Meredith College, Wake Co. Public Schools
Math Mentoring Program, Raleigh, NC
January 11, 2000: Durham Co. Public Schools Math Mentoring
Program, Durham, NC
June 9, 2000: Durham School of Science and Math, Durham,
NC
July 6, 2000: Girls on Track Summer Program, Meredith College,
Raleigh, NC
To schedule
a public speaking engagement with Dr. Wright, contact doctork@womengamers.com
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