This subject has always been of interest to me since I’ve been online for the past ten years. And in the early days I spent alot of time using video conferencing and live chat. That was a bit more difficult to disguise your gender but there were times when I would use IRC (Internet Relay Chat) a synchronous chatting environment where you can login with any alter ego you’d like. What was interesting is how people reacted to the different names since they held preconcieved ideas and perceptions. Men/boys were definitely approached and treated differently. Woman/girls are definitely different.

Virtual Games Review: BBC Article