The gaming world is changing and it has been for many years thanks to the number of females joining the gamer ranks. According to data from the Digital Australia 2020 Report, women over the age of 18 make up 47 per cent of all gamers in the country. This is a stat to celebrate!
In fact, in 2020 alone, Nielsen data shows that Australians spent a total of 1.8 billion hours gaming, with women representing 59 per cent (one billion hours) of that. The increasing number of girls and women taking up gaming is an inspiring sight to see, especially since the gaming industry has largely been marketed towards men.
But that is now changing. When thinking about girls and women in gaming, it’s interesting to consider what they enjoy about it. Is there a difference in the reasons why men and women participate in online gaming? According to research, there is and the reasons why are pretty fascinating.
A study of gamers from Taiwan found that females play for a sense of achievement and for social purposes, while, according to Forbes, male players engage with gaming to pass the time. In the United States, the trend is much the same, with women playing for achievement, social engagement and maintaining relationships.
In France, the motivators for female players involves challenging themselves, while male gamers, on the other hand, use gaming as a way to cope with stress and for competitive purposes. The differences in the reasons why men and women participate in gaming aren’t the only points of interest, with the game choices also varying.
According to data on the games favoured by females, these tend to revolve around carrying out tasks as well as creation and development. “Women rarely play shooters not because they lack reaction or speed, but because they do not see the point in missions such as rescuing hostages, capturing an enemy bunker or killing a boss,” Alex Stargame wrote for Medium.
“It is more interesting for them to carry out tasks if they know that in the end, they will be able to get something for it (useful items, artifacts, resources) or in order to protect what is already there — a castle, a fortress, a city, etc.”
The incredible influx of females onto gaming platforms and into the gaming world, in general, is wonderful and something we want to see more of. Now, we just have to wait for everyone in the gaming world, like brands and game manufacturers, to catch up so they can also create exclusive content for females as they do for males.
How can we help this mission? Well, we just need to keep making noise and it won’t be long before we’re noticed.
