We Need More Women In The Video Game Industry. Period.

by Meera Murali

Women comprise 45% of gamers in the United States. Additionally, about a third of American gamers are adult women, and 30% of the YouTube gaming audience is female. With these statistics, it’s easy to see how, contrary to popular belief, women love playing video games and are steadily on the rise in the gaming world. However, women make up only 24% of game developers.

“Why do so many women play video games, yet so few have a hand in their creation?”

The answer lies in lack of representation, harassment, and an overall culture problem within the video game industry. From a young age, girls (such as myself) are ridiculed when seen playing video games that are “for boys”, especially ones that have to do with sports or combat, such as Call of Duty or NBA 2K. Instead, girls are directed to play “soft” and “easy” games like The Sims or Animal Crossing. Furthermore, within “masculine” games, girls don’t see themselves represented. For example, in my favorite game, NBA 2K, the option to create a female player was only very recently introduced for the more expensive next generation consoles, leaving most female players without the incredible opportunity to live out their professional basketball dreams that male players have experienced for over a decade. As a result, they are more hesitant to play video games, let alone pursue a future career in developing them. This is yet another example of the video game industry catering to males and perpetuating the stereotype that boys should play “masculine” games and girls should play “feminine” games, and the lasting effect of this attitude on young girls.

On a more serious note, women tend to receive much more online harassment when playing video games than men. Because online gaming brings a level of anonymity not available in the real world, women are constantly exposed to misogynistic remarks and verbal abuse as they play. 65% of women report experiencing harassment and tend to receive three times as much as men. Misogynistic attitudes toward women could potentially steer women away from playing video games. Fewer female players equals fewer women discovering their career interests for developing video games.

This trend continues as girls enter college and explore their career interests. According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, only 11.5% of students enrolled in university video game courses in 2017 - 2018 were female. Female students such as Kate Killick of the University of South Wales recalled only having “four or five women and maybe 25 men” in their classes.

This may seem grim; however, it’s an improvement…that number stood at a measly 7% in 2014 - 2015. Additionally, more than 50% of students at the University of Arts London’s moving image and digital arts program (which includes games design, virtual reality, and animation) are women. As for lack of representation, universities like Brunel University are working to connect aspiring young female game developers with accomplished women in their field by inviting female guest lecturers to their classes. This shows young women that they can overcome negative stereotypes about women in STEM and achieve success in the field of video game design.

Times may be changing, but the workforce and education institutions still have a long way to go before reaching true equality in the game development industry. To truly achieve equality in the field, we must change our perspectives as a society on what “work” is considered “masculine” and “feminine”. What makes clicking a bunch of buttons in a first-person shooter “masculine” and clicking a bunch of buttons in an open world simulation about talking raccoons “feminine”? If we stop shaming girls for having “masculine” interests and start encouraging them to play all types of games, girls won’t be afraid to pursue careers in video game design and we can make the industry a more diverse and inclusive place for all.

Sources:

Caddy, B. (2020, April 16). “I was always told I was unusual”: why so few women design video games. The Guardian. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/feb/17/i-was-always-told-i-was-unusual-why-so-few-women-design-video-games

Mediakix. (2021, September 14). 11 Female Gamer Statistics Marketers Must Know. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://mediakix.com/blog/female-gamer-statistics-demographics/

Reed, T. V. (2019). Digitized Lives: Culture, Power and Social Change in the Internet Era (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Table 9 - HE student enrolments by subject of study 2014/15 to 2018/19 | HESA. (n.d.). Higher Education Statistics Agency. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-9

Video Game Developer Demographics and Statistics [2021]: Number Of Video Game Developers In The US. (2021, September 9). Zippia. Retrieved December 22, 2021, from https://www.zippia.com/video-game-developer-jobs/demographics/