Now new research has emerged on the experience of the "gamer girlfriend," that is, the experience of women who play games with their partners.

Mahli-Ann Butt, the Australian academic behind this research, says in some ways being a "gamer girlfriend" is positive: by gaming with their partners, women are often shielded from the online harassment prevalent in the gaming public. But so-called gamer girlfriends, who are often introduced to gaming by their partners, also have a history of being viewed as a sidekick to their boyfriend's gaming, and not a player in their own right.

We asked her about all that.