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Abstract
We interviewed 13 female machinima artists to investigate the appeal of machinima for women. Are there any specific qualities of this game-based production that speak to those women? The research looked at engine use, personal situation of artists and motivation, production processes and dominant themes in female produced machinima. Our findings indicate that machinima as a form of emergent play opens up promising possibilities for women to engage in game and animation production. Traditional social roles of women are present and remain relevant for machinima production but the accessibility of the tools provides a playground for these filmmakers to explore new genres and technologies and it supports the interest in meaningful engagement and artistic expression stated by participants in the study. We conclude that machinima can serve as a useful tool to explore and improve women's position in digital media development.