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- The Female Gamers Who Are Breaking Stereotypes
The Female Gamers Who Are Breaking Stereotypes
by
Basmah Qazi
Instagram / @maryycherryy
Did you know women make up half of Australia’s online gaming community? If you didn’t, then we don’t blame you, as the gaming world is considered to be a male-dominated industry.
When you think of an online gamer, you immediately envision a teenage boy, sitting in his bedroom and live streaming. But the truth is, this is now a stereotype, and is not reflective of what the industry really looks like.
According to Digital Australia’s 2020 Report, women over the age of 18 make up 47 per cent of gamers, but despite the large percentage, they’re still struggling to gain recognition.
Research conducted by Nielsen showed that women contribute 59 per cent to the 1.8 billion hours Aussies spent playing video games in 2020.
Being a woman in the gaming world is difficult, but there are influencers out there who are shattering glass ceilings and fighting stereotypes.
It hasn’t been easy, but Dhayana Sena, an ambassador for Xbox, knew she needed to pave the way forward which is why she created a safe space for women.
“I created women of Xbox because Xbox as a whole has an amazing community, but at the same time there were no spaces that were exclusive for women and those that identify as being female to be supported by other females,” Dhayana told ABC News.
“Women coming together is really powerful because we’re able to support one another and help amplify each other,” she said.
“My hope is that with enough women coming together, one day we can just eradicate all this negativity around [the idea] if you’re a female gamer, you’re terrible.”
The gaming industry has a long way to go, but these following women are helping others to come forward and share their passion, even if they don’t look like the expected demographic.
