Last week we discussed the discrimination that the LGBTQ+ community faces in the gaming and esports industry. Today, readers will get a taste of how women are treated within the same space.
In addition to homophobia, sexism is rampant in the video game community because women are not perceived as a target audience, among other reasons.
What Do the Statistics Say About Women in the Video Game Industry?
Women’s presence in the video game industry has been slowly increasing. However, does women’s involvement in the industry match its growth?
A Zippia article notes how women make up 23.7% of video game developers and that the industry expects to grow 21% by 2028.
Conversely, female gamers make up roughly 45% of the consumer market. The statistics suggest that women make up almost half the market but are not represented adequately on the developer end of the equation. From this information, do men have women’s interests in video games? Or is the industry still a primarily patriarchal space?
A recent Newzoo article dives into the consumer data behind the various aspects of purchasing and playing video games. A few crucial tendencies that occurred included women often choosing to play games on mobile devices. The types of games that women enjoy lean more towards a puzzle or problem-solving aspect.
At the very least, the mobile gaming market is receiving some recognition. The data suggests that 57% of players use their smartphones for games, and mobile gaming is on the rise as players prefer to sit on their sofas instead of a computer.
What Aspects of the Video Game Industry Deter Women from Playing Games?
On the surface, video games can be a harmless pastime. Upon closer inspection, they present gender-based discrimination to their players.
An article by Paste magazine highlights a survey noting how 77% of a group of 900 women felt discriminated against in online gaming spaces. It is also important to note that the survey includes that 59% of women mask their gender identity online, with 55% of women taking on a non-gendered or masculine persona.
For women in the limelight within the gaming and esports industry, casual harassment and sexism are an unfortunate reality.
One female streamer that has received recognition and hate in recent years is Imane, who goes by her alias Pokimane. Dot Esports references a Twitch stream from January this year where Pokimane highlights the double standard for female streamers. Pokiemane points out that there is nothing wrong with finding someone attractive; however, it becomes an issue when their attractiveness is held against them.
Equating the success of female streamers to their viewers expecting a sort of weird sexual gratification by watching their streams suggests a notion of objectifying these women. While the possibility of online creeps and objectification is a reality, this does not mean it is ok to downplay their success because of their gender. It is unlikely that all of the viewers who watch women stream are creeps vying for a parasocial interaction.
But it goes without saying that sex appeal is prevalent in many occupations requiring visual stimulation. The issue lies behind reducing a female streamer to playing into objectification tactics. This raises the question that if men can profit off their sexuality, why can’t women? Is it because female streamers actively benefit from this business model and resist objectification?
How Can We Properly Give Credit and Make the Video Game Industry More Welcoming Towards Women?
With all this information to think about, there is little doubt that the gaming industry needs some reforming. The misogynistic mindset that says it is ok to harass girls who play video games is the same one that creates the entitled attitude that some men have in other sectors of life.
One option to foster a more diverse and inclusive space is to create one’s own. We Are Social suggests that one effective strategy during the pandemic is the creation of specific subcultures that female gamers can use to develop their communities.
Externally, it is important to recognize women in the gaming industry who have made significant contributions. Antidote.gg gives a good start by providing a list of influential women in the gaming industry, such as Aya Kyogoku, the scriptwriter of the hit game Animal Crossing. The importance of recognizing the women in the gaming industry shifts away from the perception that games are a man’s pastime and into the idea that anyone can enjoy games.
