Women have always been a part of the video game industry, but their role has often been marginalized. In fact, there may be many around the world that simply believe that the main driver within the gaming industry is men, considering how males dominate it.
In recent years, however, a concerted effort has been to bring more women into the gaming world – both as developers and players. This has led to some fantastic progress, and women are now having a major impact on the gaming landscape.
In this blog post, we will explore the role of women in video games and discuss why their presence is so important.
The history of the industry
The first step in understanding the role of women in video games is to take a look at the history of the industry. For many years, gaming was seen as a hobby for boys and men. However, gaming began to change in the 1980s with the advent of home consoles like the Nintendo Entertainment System. Suddenly, gaming was something that everyone could enjoy – including girls and women. Additionally, we have seen an increase in the number of women participating in esports activities, too. Many are now trying their luck at eSports betting on websites like Betway and playing lotteries and even casino games.
However, even though women were playing video games, they were still largely excluded from the development process. This began to change in the 1990s as more women entered the game development field. Nonetheless, we still have a very small number of women working within the industry in the present day, with it believed that just 21% of the entire industry is female.
What do women bring to the gaming industry?
Naturally, there are a number of different things that women are able to bring to the industry and the games that are developed that men simply can not provide.
One of the most important things that women bring to video games is a different perspective. Women developers often create games that are different from those made by their male counterparts. This is because they have different experiences and perspectives to draw from.
Additionally, women developers are also more likely to create games that feature strong female protagonists. This is important, as it helps to break down the stereotype that video games are only for boys and men. We have seen a welcomed change by developers in the past to make the main character of games a woman as we see equality taking shape, however it could be argued that there is still more that can be done in the future.
By having more female lead characters and games that perhaps center around women, more and more females and young girls may consider getting involved in the industry as they will see opportunities that they felt may have once been unobtainable or impossible to ever realize.
The continued push to bring more women into the video gaming industry
In recent years, there has been a push to get more women involved in the video game industry. This is happening at all levels, from development studios to gaming conventions. The goal is to create a more inclusive environment that allows everyone – regardless of gender – to enjoy video games.
Recent figures have shown just how many women are interested in video gaming. For instance, 38% of game developers in 2021 were women whereas 48% of all gamers are thought to now be women with 63% of the mobile gaming market being played by females. Additionally, we have seen the rise of females in the competitive gaming sphere and eSports scene, with some of them being amongst the highest-paid and biggest earners of everyone that competes.
What can be done to encourage further growth?
Admittedly, there is still plenty that needs to be done to ensure that more women get involved in the industry, and there are things that can be done, too.
Game development companies can continue to look at diversifying their workforce and ensuring they give equal opportunities to female candidates that may apply for vacancies. Some should also consider the perspectives that a woman can bring to any process of game development compared to a male counterpart and analyze whether it will be more beneficial to them.
By making changes, it will further encourage more and more women to get involved in the industry, thus helping to improve the impact that they are able to have, which will then potentially encourage more girls at a young age to play games and potentially become the future of the industry.
Final Thoughts
The impact of women in the video game industry cannot be understated. They are helping to change the landscape of gaming, and they are making it possible for everyone to enjoy this amazing hobby.
