Video games have become a more accepted hobby over the years, but playing video games is still often considered a man’s hobby. According to the 2023 Global Gamer Study, 45% of people who play video games are women. This article explores the experience of women in video games, both in the industry and playing these games and what needs to change.
The Video Game Industry
Software development and by extension game development is well known as a male-dominated industry, although the proportion of men to women is beginning to become more balanced as more women enter STEM careers. Many organisations help support women in the video games industry such as Women in Games, a not-for-profit organisation that aims to encourage more women into the games industry and compete in esports by providing an equal and safe environment for women and building a community that can support and inspire.
Providing girls with a supportive environment to create and play games is an excellent way to encourage more women into video game development, while providing support for any harassment and discrimination faced, and challenging this behaviour to work towards breaking the idea that it’s a “man’s industry” and for women to be accepted as competent and qualified to work in this industry as their male colleagues are.
“Girl Gamers”
The term “girl gamer” or “gamer girl” has different meanings depending on who uses it. It can be used to refer to the stereotype of a girl who only plays games to impress men instead of playing because she enjoys them, or simply as a descriptor of “a girl who is a gamer”. The former use insinuates that girls can’t really enjoy the hobby or can only enjoy certain genres of games especially “cosy” games like the Sims series when in reality, women are unique individuals with their own preferences for video game genres.
For women who enjoy games that are typically advertised towards men, especially online competitive games, it’s a well-known experience of speaking on comms and receiving harassment and sexist comments to the point it’s become an accepted reality. As video game companies realise they can expand their market to female players, the games they advertise often have a lack of punishment for the harassment they face so the experience is ruined, leading to women avoiding communicating with their team or playing these games entirely.
The treatment of female characters in video games is often sickening as well. Games are quickly labelled “woke” if they feature a female main character and character designs are heavily criticised for not conforming to a certain standard and not having enough “sex appeal”.
Seeing people rate characters in nothing more than their physical characteristics is disgusting and is steeped in misogyny and the objectification of women, especially when you compare the treatment of male and female characters. For those who say it doesn’t matter because they’re not real. It does. Seeing women as nothing but sex objects is a very unhealthy view and affects their relationships with and views of real women.
People’s views of women need to change. The treatment of women in video games at the end of the day is just a product of how they are viewed in society. How can this change be brought about? The truth is that I don’t have an exact foolproof solution. Being open to other people’s opinions and listening to their experiences is a great start, and breaking away from gender stereotypes would help. Standing up against the harassment that women face online and introducing more punishments and education for people to realise this treatment towards women isn’t ok.
