Online Communities That Foster
Greater Participation for Women Gamers
Gaming and e-sports have never been more popular, and on the surface it seems as though there is something for everyone in the world of gaming. However, while there are an endless number of gaming options for men, that’s not necessarily the case for women.
In fact, women enjoy playing mobile games especially, with approximately 49% of all mobile gamers actually being female, according to a recent survey1 by Newzoo and Google Play. Based on the survey findings, women tend to play games five times or more often during the week for entertainment or even stress relief.
Another 60% of women revealed that mobile gaming even makes them feel good.
Genders Are Not Created Equally in Gaming
Unfortunately, the two genders are not created equal when it comes to game development, nor games uniquely suited for women. Let’s be honest, it’s a significant assumption to believe men and women want the same type of gaming experience.
In fact, the majority of women believe 30% or fewer mobile games are made for women, with 44% of the top-selling games on Google Play featuring male characters [1].
This is one major reason why more women have yet to truly make up a larger percentage of the online gaming community. According to the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association, online gaming is made up of approximately 81% men and 19% women [2].
It Can’t Just Be About the Game Itself
One of the reasons why women may feel left out in e-sports is that many game-makers today think the experience begins and ends with the game itself. However, women tend to enjoy a greater social aspect of the e-sports experience. For many women it’s as much about the connection with others as it is about the competitive nature.
New e-sports communities are tackling this issue head on and embracing the opportunity to embrace women as a significant part of the e-sports realm. These new communities are creating a home for all gamers, streamers and fans to interact with one another.
Women Want a Gaming Community, Not Just a Game
This is not to say women shy away from their competitive spirit. New communities such as New York-based Brag House are designed to connect both male and female college and university students to compete with other gamers at rival institutions, and the built-in social community fosters an environment of friendly bragging to create new friendships, rivalries and in some cases a fierce competitive nature.
The live community offers a home for casual gamers and fans to compete, socialize and win bragging rights through e-sports competitions, which is more of an experience-driven way for women to enjoy gaming. What’s more, women gamers can connect with other female friends and colleagues through live tournaments with the potential to win prizes.
Other leading brands such as McDonald’s and Coca Cola have taken notice and are also playing a role through sponsorships that build experience-driven marketing programs that appeal to both men and women.
Lavell Juan [@juan_lavell] is the CEO of Brag House, the first vertically integrated social network for casual gamers in college to compete, support their team, brag and win prizes. For more information visit TheBragHouseCorp.com.
1: https://www.businessofapps.com/news/gender-bias-49-of-women-play-mobile-games-but-few-games-are-made-for-women/
2: https://thefsga.org/industry-demographics/
