*** This is a call for article-length scholarly contributions for inclusion in a collection of essays broadly focused around the topic of women and video game "modding."***

The world of video games has long revolved around a very particular subset of its player base: boys—or, more specifically, straight, white males aged 18-25. The extreme gendering of marketing towards children that took place in the late 90s and early 2000s only widened the gap between this perceived player base and the diverse group of people who actually purchase and play video games. Despite the Entertainment Software Association reporting in 2015 that the average gamer is 35 years old and that 44% of gamers are women, many game developers continue to produce content that appears to reflect this imaginary singular player base of young, straight, white males. Even much lauded and historically more progressive-minded developers like BioWare find themselves falling into this same trap: "We start with the male appearance first because that's the one most people will play," explains David Gaider, lead writer for BioWare's Dragon Age series after female fans lambasted a promotional video which displayed male player characters only, despite the fact that the game traditionally allows the creation of female player characters. Gaider's unconscious othering of female fans was surprising coming from a developer who has genuinely worked hard to eradicate sexism, racism, homophobia, and transphobia in gaming. His defensive response is indicative of an industry that, despite its best efforts, continues to marginalize female fans.

Many video game companies seem unwilling or unable to respond to the demands of their female fans, while the response from others, like BioWare, has been slow. While the majority of AAA video games continue to be created and marketed to please the straight male player, female fans are in turn modifying such games to appeal to the (mostly) straight female player. These so-called "modders" alter the appearance of male and female characters, rewrite and code scenes and epilogues, enhance or add additional love scenes and create fairy tale happy endings that developers have deemed otherwise unimportant.

This is a call for article-length scholarly contributions for inclusion in a collection of essays (to be published by McFarland Books) broadly focused around the topic of women and video game "modding." The essays in this book should each address the phenomenon of women and video game modding in some way, shape, or form. Potential topics could include:

* Romance mods, including the politics of modding race and sexuality, NPC ("non-player character") availability, NPC appearance, and creating or extending canonical romantic scenes

* Modding the body: what sort of mods are women creating and using on their own characters? Can mods express dissatisfaction with base game character creation options?

* Modding communities: how have online spaces like Tumblr fostered modding communities of women? The importance of crediting modders, the policing of gamers on how to use and credit use of mods, collaborative modding communities versus "lone wolf" modders, the backlash against websites like Nexus

* Essays focused on particular games, such a Dragon Age, The Sims, or Skyrim

* The relationship between female modders and developers: do developers ever respond to modder creations? Is base game content ever altered to appease modder interests? Do developers ever express disagreement or lack of support for modders?

* * *

This list is far from expansive; any proposed essay addressing some aspect of female gamers and modding will be considered.

Please email a 500-word abstract to bawhelan@gmail.com by June 30, 2016. Completed essays are also welcome in lieu of an abstract. Essays should be between 7,000 and 11,000 words in length (final length can be fairly flexible, however). Please also include a short bio with your submission.

Once you've submitted an abstract, you can expect a response from me letting you know that I have received your submission. If you never hear from me (within a reasonable amount of time), please don't hesitate to resend.

For further inquiries about this project, feel free to contact me via the above email.