Who Runs the (Gaming) World? Girls!

It’s no secret that women can do everything men can do. Modern feminism has also paved the way to show that it’s okay for girls and guys to do exactly the same stuff, which is why it probably shouldn’t come as a shock to see that women actually account for over half of all gamers worldwide. THE MAJORITY. So, what are women playing and why has there been such a shift?

Gaming Now > Gaming In The Past

When you thought of gaming several years ago, the chances are you’ll have thought of PlayStation, Xbox or maybe something even more old-school like a Nintendo 64. First person shooter games like Call Of Duty are still hugely popular, as are all kinds of others which people regularly ‘collect’ as part of a series and wait outside gaming stores at midnight for the latest instalment. However, these days, there are a ton of other games which are available, and it’s mostly in thanks to the fact that the Internet and indeed smartphones are of course all the rage. We now have a multitude of choices, in addition to the ones we had before. That’s the beauty!

Online Generation

Today, people are playing tons of games that can be found online, for a multitude of reasons. Boredom, fun, procrastination, love or money all come into play, alongside a good old competitive streak which can be put to good use no matter the game. A lot of sites right here in Canada are opening up the gaming world to the casual gamer, including more and more women! Alongside Bingo, traditionally favored by older generations but now the past-time of people of all ages, there are games of all natures, including those with a stereotypically ‘feminine’ approach to encourage women to get involved. For example, amongst its selection of arcade games, there are a host of 32Red games for Canadian players.

Women are tending to favor options such as ‘Bridesmaids’, which features graphics which may be more appealing to a lot of women and is a slot based game which doesn’t include things like violence like many games so often do! They’re not alone, a lot of gaming sites take the slot approach as opposed to the ‘KILL EVERYTHING IN SIGHT’, such as Sun Bingo and more. 32Red goes that one step further on the female gaming front by directly marketing to women using gender stereotypes (for example, Kitty Cabana).

Of course, there are also games which seem to have men, women and children hooked. Think of Candy Crush for iPhone and Android, for example. There aren’t many people who don’t have this addictive little thing downloaded, and it’s easy to waste HOURS trying to reach that next ELUSIVE level! With the pretty candified background but the competitive nature of the game, it’s hardly surprising that everyone feels able to play along!

Women Aren’t In A Box

However, that’s not to say that women aren’t getting involved with games of all kinds, too! In fact, there are thousands of women around the world whose presence in the gaming world cannot be ignored. In fact, 52% of people who regularly game are women, so the old stereotype of men being the ones at it should just move on! However, as the article points out, women need to be taken into account in the industry in all areas, from the marketing right through to the execution.

For example, women need to feel that they are represented in games, and not just tokenized or fetishized. They need to feel that there are characters who are every bit as interesting and diverse as they are, ready to be strong and kick some butt! Also, time and time again, ‘games for women’ are seen as ‘other’ and not ‘proper’ additions to tech like ‘games for men’. Even more disgustingly, women are even being VICTIMIZED for gaming, and this story ‘#GamerGate’ may even be turned into a movie!

Scarlett Johansson maybe starring in movie about #GamerGate: https://t.co/we7fZvpYCB pic.twitter.com/LULIEDQVFF

— ELLE Magazine (US) (@ELLEmagazine) November 10, 2015

The industry has come a long way in inclusiveness and sites mentioned above with female friendly ones are starting to bridge the gap. But as a whole, the industry is losing out on not just a way to improve its social consciousness, but also its profits! If women are already playing at a time where games aren’t always geared up to include them, imagine how many more would play if they were?!