Picture Credits: Gamers at Igromir 2013 by Sergey Galyonkin, Licensed with CC BY-SA 4.0 /Resized from original
Back in the early days when we thought of video games, an image of a guy came up in our heads, but that is not the case anymore. With the popularity of the many game consoles, and video games, nowadays both genders play video games, and thus girls playing video games is no longer considered unusual. In fact in websites like youtube, many girl gamers like anita sarkeesian even review video games. So, This article discusses about the percentage of women who play video games, and female gamers statistics, why do women play games, and the role of women in video game industry. Video games are, by definition, any digital game runs on an electronic platform and generates visual feedback. Basically it means all games which are played on platforms like gameboys, gaming consoles, computers, laptops, television are part of the video game group.
Video games are primarily considered as a male activity, but in reality, this is not true. As per the study of the Internet Advertising Bureau, 52% of video gamers are female and not male, and thus girls playing video games is slightly higher than other way around. This demographic might come as a bit of a shock to you. However, it is true despite the belief of many people.
International Gamer Gender Ratio Female:Male (2012)
| Region/Country | Study | Ratio (Female to Male) |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | IGEA | 47 : 53 |
| Austria | ISFE | 44 : 56 |
| Belgium | ISFE | 46 : 54 |
| Canada | ESAC | 46 : 54 |
| China | 17173 | 27 : 73 |
| Czech Republic | ISFE | 44 : 56 |
| Denmark | ISFE | 42 : 58 |
| Europe | ISFE | 45 : 55 |
| Finland | ISFE | 49 : 51 |
| France | ISFE | 47 : 53 |
| Germany | ISFE | 44 : 56 |
| Great Britain | ISFE | 46 : 54 |
| Italy | ISFE | 48 : 52 |
| Japan | 17173 | 66 : 34 |
| Korea | 17173 | 37 : 63 |
| Netherlands | ISFE | 46 : 54 |
| New Zealand | IGEA | 46: 54 |
| Norway | ISFE | 46 : 54 |
| Poland | ISFE | 44 : 56 |
| Portugal | ISFE | 43 : 57 |
| Spain | ISFE | 44 : 56 |
| Sweden | ISFE | 47 : 53 |
| Switzerland | ISFE | 44 : 56 |
| USA | ESA | 47 : 53 |
Sources : European Summary , Essential Facts , Techinasia , DNZ 14 , Digital Australia 14
Moreover, A survey in India conducted by GamesBond shows that 79% of females spend their time on playing mobile games. This number is higher than 71% of males who play on mobile phones. Gaming genres which are popular among women are arcade, puzzle and adventure. Even though females form the majority of video gamers, the participation of females in the video game industry is much lesser. In fact There are very few women game developers.
Some conservative old fashioned people may question why do women play video games? The answer is the same as why would anyone play video games. Video games reduce the stress levels, act as a recreational activity and thus bringing the enjoyment. Since most of the adult females are into organizing, puzzle, strategic and adventure games like candy crush, dinner dash, subway surf and clash of clans, it helps them to boost their logic and improve the cognitive skills , which can be considered as another benefit. As the demographics of gamers came onto the surface, game developers have started to target more females than before , but still there are some women who act like men while playing anonymously with other people because of the fear of being prejudged , isolated or harassed which still happen often in many online game networks.
In conclusion, video games might still be stereotyped as a male activity, but they are nothing but unisexual. So, don’t be scared of being judged if you are a girl and are playing counter strike or if you are a boy who plays Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. Just be true to yourself, and play whatever you like.
