Examine individual changes

'{{For|depictions of women in video games|Gender representation in video games}} [[File:Girls playing video games in Japan.jpg|thumb|Women playing ''[[The House of the Dead III]]'' in an [[amusement arcade]] in [[Video gaming in Japan|Japan]], 2005.]] The relationship between '''women and video games''' has received extensive academic, corporate, and social attention. Since the 1990s,<ref name=polygonNoGirls /> female [[gamer]]s have commonly been regarded as a minority, but industry surveys have shown that in time the gender ratio has become closer to equal, and since the 2010s, females have been found to make up about half of all gamers. [[Sexism in video gaming]], including [[sexual harassment]] and the [[Gender representation in video games|underrepresentation of women as characters in games]], is an increasing topic of discussion in [[video game culture]]. Advocates for increasing the number of female gamers stress the problems attending disenfranchisement of females from one of the fastest-growing cultural realms as well as the largely untapped nature of the female gamer market. Efforts to include greater female participation in the medium have addressed the problems of gendered advertising, social stereotyping, and the lack of female video game creators (coders, [[Video game developer|developers]], producers, etc.). The term "'''girl gamer'''" has been used as a [[Reappropriation|reappropriated term]] for female players to describe themselves, but it has also been criticized as counterproductive or offensive. == Demographics of female players == {{See also|Video game#Demographics}} Female participation in gaming is increasing. According to a [[Entertainment Software Association]] survey, women players in the United States increased from 40% in 2010 to 48% in 2014.<ref name="wsjWomenHalf">{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/gaming-no-longer-a-mans-world-1408464249|title=Women Now Make Up Almost Half of Gamers|first1=Sven|last1=Grundberg|first2=Jens|last2=Hansegard|date=20 August 2014|publisher=|via=Wall Street Journal}}</ref><ref name="washpoMoreWomen">{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/08/22/adult-women-gamers-outnumber-teenage-boys/|title=Study: More women than teenage boys are gamers|date=August 22, 2014|first=Gail |last=Sullivan|work=The Washington Post}}</ref> Today, despite the dominant perception that most gamers are men,<ref name="pewGamer2015" /> the ratio of female to male gamers is balanced, mirroring [[Human sex ratio|the population at large]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailydot.com/geek/adult-women-largest-gaming-demographic/?fb=ss&prtnr=nerdist|title=Adult women are now the largest demographic in gaming|last=Romano|first=Aja|date=2014|website=The Daily Dot|publisher=Nicholas White|access-date=September 9, 2016}}</ref> In 2008, a [[Pew Internet & American Life Project]] study found that among teens, 65% of men and 35% of women describe themselves as daily gamers. This trend was found to be stronger the younger the age group.<ref>{{Citation| last=Lenhart | first=Amanda | last2=Kahna | first2=Joseph | last3=Middaugh | first3=Ellen | last4=Macgill | first4=Alexandra Rankin | last5=Evans | first5=Chris | last6=Vitak | first6=Jessica | date=16 September 2008 | title=Teens, Video Games, and Civics | publisher=[[Pew Research Center]] | publication-place=Washington D.C. | url=http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2008/PIP_Teens_Games_and_Civics_Report_FINAL.pdf.pdf}}</ref> The study found that while adult men are significantly more likely to play [[Console game|console games]] than adult women, on other platforms they are equally likely to play.<ref>{{Citation| last=Lenhart | first=Amanda | last2=Jones | first2=Sydney | last3=Macgill | first3=Alexandra Rankin | date=7 December 2008 | title=Pew Internet Project Data Memo | publisher=[[Pew Research Center]] | url=http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2008/PIP_Adult_gaming_memo.pdf.pdf}}</ref> But even in this area, the numbers are moving towards equality: in 2013, [[Nintendo]] reported that half of its users were women,<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.geekwire.com/2013/dudes-38-xbox-users-female-51-kids/ |title= Not just dudes: 38% of Xbox users female, 51% have kids |publisher= Geek Wire |year= 2013 |accessdate= 2013-10-20}}</ref> and in 2015 another Pew study found that more American women (42%) than men (37%) owned video game consoles.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Frank|first1=Allegra|title=New survey findings show more women own game consoles than men|url=http://www.polygon.com/2015/11/4/9669110/pew-research-center-female-gamers-statistics|accessdate=6 November 2015|work=Polygon|date=4 November 2015}}</ref> In 2013, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' reported that female participation increased with age (61% of women and 57% of males aged 45 to 64 played games).<ref name=variety2013>{{citation |url= https://variety.com/2013/digital/features/womengamers1200683299-1200683299/ |title= Videogame Biz: Women Still Very Much in the Minority |publisher= Variety |year= 2013 |accessdate= 2013-10-20 |author= Marc Graser }}</ref> A mid-2015 survey reported by UKIE indicates that 42% of UK gamers are female.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://ukie.org.uk/sites/default/files/cms/UK%20Games%20Industry%20Fact%20Sheet%2026%20January%202016.pdf |title= UK Video Games Fact Sheet |publisher= The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment |date= 26 August 2016 |accessdate= 8 April 2016 }}</ref> === Data collection === In North America, national demographic surveys have been conducted yearly by the U.S. [[Entertainment Software Association]] (ESA){{efn|The ESA was known as the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) prior to 16 July 2003.}} since at least 1997, and the Canadian [[Entertainment Software Association of Canada]] (ESAC) since 2006. Other organizations including the Australian/New-Zealander [[Interactive Games & Entertainment Association]] (IGEA) since 2005 collect and publish demographic data on their constituent populations on a semi-regular basis. In Europe, the regional [[Interactive Software Federation of Europe]] (ISFE) and numerous smaller national groups like the [[Belgian Entertainment Association]] (BEA), the [[Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers]] (NVPI), and the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE) have also begun to collect data on female video gamers since 2012. One-off market research studies and culture surveys have been produced by a wide variety of other sources including some segments of [[video game journalism|the gaming press]] and other culture writers since the 1980s as well. Not only has the general female gaming population been tracked, but the spread of this population has been tracked over many facets of gaming. For more than 10 years, groups like the ESA and ESAC have gathered data on the gender of video game purchasers, the percentage of women gamers within certain age brackets, and the average number of years women gamers have been gaming. The ESAC in particular has gone into great depth reporting age-related segmentation of the market between both male and female gamers. Other statistics have been collected from time to time on a wide variety of facets influencing the video game market. ==== Survey data ==== {| style="float: right; margin-left:0.2em; border: 1px solid #BBB;" |- style="font-size: 87%;" | valign="top" |<center>[[Entertainment Software Association of Canada|ESAC]]-reported Canadian female to male gamer ratios<br /><small>(Note: Y-axis corresponds to the percentage of women gamers.)</small></center>{{Line chart | color_background = white | width = 500 | height = 350 | padding_left = 40 | padding_right = 15 | padding_top = 10 | padding_bottom = 20 | number_of_series = 5 | number_of_x-values = 13 | label_x1 = 2006 | label_x2 = 2007 | label_x3 = 2008 | label_x4 = 2009 | label_x5 = 2010 | label_x6 = 2011 | label_x7 = 2012 | label_x8 = 2013 | label_x9 = 2014 | label_x10 = 2015 | label_x11 = 2016 | label_x12 = 2017 | label_x13 = 2018 | y_max = 100 | y_min = 0 | scale = yes | interval_primary_scale = 50 | interval_secondary_scale = 10 | S05V01 = 38 | S05V02 = 42 | S05V03 = 49 | S05V04 = 34.9 | S05V05 = 38 | S05V06 = 38 | S05V07 = 46 | S05V08 = 46 | S05V09 = 48 | S05V10 = 48 | S05V11 = 49 | S05V12 = 49 | S05V13 = 50 | points = yes }} {{legend|purple|[[Video gaming]] (comprises PC and Console gaming){{efn|ESAC-reported Canadian female to male gamer ratios: <ref>"[http://theesa.ca/documents/EssentialFacts2006.pdf 2006 Sales, Demographics and Usage Data – Essential Facts About the Canadian Computer & Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association of Canada]]''. Pg.5. 2006.</ref><ref>"[http://theesa.ca/documents/EssentialFacts2007.pdf 2007 Sales, Demographics and Usage Data – Essential Facts About the Canadian Computer & Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association of Canada]]''. Pg.5. 2007.</ref><ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20090919001026/http://www.theesa.ca/documents/EssentialFacts2008EN.pdf Essential Facts About the Canadian Computer and Video Game Industry – 2008]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association of Canada]]''. Pg.2. 2008.</ref><ref>"[http://theesa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Essential-Facts-2009-English.pdf 2009 Essential Facts About the Canadian Computer and Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association of Canada]]''. Pg.4. 2009.</ref><ref>"[http://theesa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Essential-Facts-2010.pdf 2010 Essential Facts About the Canadian Computer and Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association of Canada]]''. Pg.8. 2010.</ref><ref>"[http://theesa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Essential-Facts-2011.pdf 2011 Essential Facts About the Canadian Computer and Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association of Canada]]''. Pg.14. 2011.</ref><ref name=esac2012>"[http://theesa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/ESAC_ESSENTIAL_FACTS_2012_EN.pdf Essential Facts 2012] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141005103523/http://theesa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/ESAC_ESSENTIAL_FACTS_2012_EN.pdf |date=2014-10-05 }}." ''[[Entertainment Software Association of Canada]]''. Pg.3. 2012.</ref><ref name=esac2013>"[http://theesa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Essential-Facts-English.pdf 2013 Essential Facts About the Canadian Video Game Industry] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131028143627/http://theesa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Essential-Facts-English.pdf |date=2013-10-28 }}." ''[[Entertainment Software Association of Canada]]''. Pp.16-17. 2013.</ref><ref>"[http://theesa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ESAC-Essential-Facts-2014.pdf 2014 Essential Facts About the Canadian Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association of Canada]]''. Pg.15. 2014.</ref><ref>"[http://theesa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ESAC_2015_Booklet_Version02_14_Digital.pdf 2015 Essential Facts About the Canadian Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association of Canada]]''. Pg.14. 2015.</ref><ref>"[http://theesa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/2016_booklet_Web.compressed2.pdf Essential Facts 2016]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association of Canada]]''. Pg.4. 2016.</ref><ref>"[http://theesa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ESAC2017_Booklet_13_Digital.pdf Essential Facts About the Canadian Video Game Industry! 2017]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association of Canada]]''. Pg.10. 2017.</ref><ref>"[http://theesa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/ESAC18_BookletEN.pdf Essential Facts About the Canadian Video Game Industry 2018]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association of Canada]]''. Pg.2. 2017.</ref>}} }} |} {| style="float: right; margin-left:0.2em; border: 1px solid #BBB;" |- style="font-size: 87%;" | valign="top" |<center>[[Entertainment Software Association|IDSA/ESA]]-reported USA female to male gamer ratios per platform<br /><small>(Note: Y-axis corresponds to the percentage of women gamers.)</small></center>{{Line chart | color_background = white | width = 500 | height = 350 | padding_left = 40 | padding_right = 15 | padding_top = 10 | padding_bottom = 20 | number_of_series = 4 | number_of_x-values = 22 | label_x1 = 1997 | label_x2 = | label_x3 = | label_x4 = 2000 | label_x5 = | label_x6 = | label_x7 = | label_x8 = | label_x9 = 2005 | label_x10 = | label_x11 = | label_x12 = | label_x13 = | label_x14 = 2010 | label_x15 = | label_x16 = | label_x17 = | label_x18 = | label_x19 = 2015 | label_x20 = | label_x21 = | label_x22 = 2018 | y_max = 100 | y_min = 0 | scale = yes | interval_primary_scale = 50 | interval_secondary_scale = 10 | S01V04 = 43 | S01V08 = 39 | S01V09 = 43 | S01V10 = 38 | S01V11 = 38 | S01V12 = 40 | S01V13 = 40 | S01V14 = 40 | S01V15 = 42 | S01V16 = 47 | S01V17 = 45 | S01V18 = 48 | S01V19 = 44 | S01V20 = 41 | S01V21 = 41 | S01V22 = 45 | S02V01 = 40 | S02V02 = 37.7 | S02V03 = 38 | S02V05 = 39 | S02V06 = 38 | S02V07 = 41.9 | S03V01 = 27 | S03V02 = 31.1 | S03V03 = 31 | S03V05 = 26 | S03V06 = 28 | S03V07 = 28.5 | S04V08 = 40 | S04V09 = 44 | S04V10 = 42 | S04V11 = 47 | S04V12 = 44 | S04V13 = 43 | S04V14 = 42 | points = yes }} {{legend|red|[[Video gaming]] (comprises PC and Console gaming){{efn|IDSA/ESA-reported USA female to male gamer ratios per platform - Video gaming: <ref>Hart, Peter D. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20010302054531/http://www.idsa.com/fastfacts/idsagraphs2.pdf Computer and Video Game Industry Data Updated for 2000]." ''[[Interactive Digital Software Association]]''. 2000.</ref><ref name=ESA2004>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20040612183336/http://www.theesa.com/EFBrochure.pdf 2004 Sales, Demographics and Usage Data – Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association]]''. Pg.2. 2004.</ref><ref name=ESA2005>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20050829235522/http://www.theesa.com/files/2005EssentialFacts.pdf 2005 Sales, Demographics and Usage Data – Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association]]''. Pg.3. 2005.</ref><ref name=ESA2006>"[http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2006.pdf 2006 Sales, Demographic and Usage Data – Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association]]''. Pg.3. 2006.</ref><ref name=ESA2007>"[http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2007.pdf 2007 Sales, Demographic and Usage Data – Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association]]''. Pg.3. 2007.</ref><ref name=ESA2008>"[http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2008.pdf 2008 Sales, Demographic and Usage Data – Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018152242/http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2008.pdf |date=2014-10-18 }}." ''[[Entertainment Software Association]]''. Pg.3. 2008.</ref><ref name=ESA2009>"[http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2009.pdf 2009 Sales, Demographic and Usage Data – Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association]]''. Pg.3. 2009.</ref><ref name=ESA2010>"[http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2010.pdf 2010 Sales, Demographic and Usage Data – Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association]]''. Pg.3. 2010.</ref><ref>"[http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2011.pdf 2011 Sales, Demographic and Usage Data – Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association]]''. Pg.3. 2011.</ref><ref name=ESA2012>"[http://www.isfe.eu/sites/isfe.eu/files/attachments/esa_ef_2012.pdf 2012 Sales, Demographic and Usage Data – Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association]]''. Pg.3. 2012.</ref><ref name=ESA2013>"[http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2013.pdf 2013 Sales, Demographic and Usage Data – Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141126082602/https://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2013.pdf |date=2014-11-26 }}." ''[[Entertainment Software Association]]''. Pg.3. 2013.</ref><ref>"[http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2014.pdf 2014 Sales, Demographic, and Usage Data – Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011105342/http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/esa_ef_2014.pdf |date=2014-10-11 }}." ''[[Entertainment Software Association]]''. Pg.3. 2014.</ref><ref>"[http://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ESA-Essential-Facts-2015.pdf 2015 Sales, Demographic and Usage Data – Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association]]''. Pg.3. 2015.</ref><ref>"[http://essentialfacts.theesa.com/Essential-Facts-2016.pdf 2016 Sales, Demographic and Usage Data – Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association]]''. Pg.3. 2016.</ref><ref>"[http://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/!EF2017_Design_FinalDigital.pdf 2017 Sales, Demographic, and Usage Data – Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association]]''. Pg.7. 2017.</ref><ref>"[http://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/EF2018_FINAL.pdf 2018 Sales, Demographic, and Usage Data – Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry]." ''[[Entertainment Software Association]]''. Pg.6. 2018.</ref>}}}} {{legend|blue|[[PC gaming]]{{efn|IDSA/ESA-reported USA female to male gamer ratios per platform - PC gaming: <ref name=IDSA1997>"The State of the Entertainment Software Industry 1997: Executive Summary". ''[[Interactive Digital Software Association]]''. 1997. (Presented in Atlanta at [[E3 1997]] and reprinted in "The State of the Entertainment Software Industry: 1997—An IDSA Report," ''Computer Graphics World''. Pg.10. July 1997.)</ref><ref name=IDSA1998>Baka, Jeremy. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20000122131842/http://www.idsa.com/releases/consu98.html Video And PC Games Are The Most Fun Home Entertainment Activity, Reveals New National IDSA Survey]." ''[[Interactive Digital Software Association]]''. 28 May 1998.</ref><ref name=IDSA1999>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20010302054531/http://www.idsa.com/IDSA_SOTI_REPORT.pdf 1999 State of the Industry Report]." ''[[Interactive Digital Software Association]]''. Pg.5. 1999.</ref><ref name=IDSA2001>Meyer, Caroline. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20010819032529/http://www.idsa.com/consumersurvey2001.html IDSA Announces Results Of 6th Annual Consumer Survey Revealing That Games Are A Central Part Of American Life]." ''[[Interactive Digital Software Association]]''. 17 May 2001.</ref><ref name=IDSA2002>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20021002221231/http://www.idsa.com/IDSABooklet.pdf Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry]." ''[[Interactive Digital Software Association]]''. Pg.5. 2002.</ref><ref name=IDSA2003>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20031003120156/http://www.theesa.com/EF2003.pdf Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry – 2003 Sales, Demographics and Usage Data]." ''[[Interactive Digital Software Association]]''. Pg.3. 2003.</ref>}}}} {{legend|green|[[Console gaming]]{{efn|IDSA/ESA-reported USA female to male gamer ratios per platform - Console gaming: <ref name=IDSA1997 /><ref name=IDSA1998 /><ref name=IDSA1999 /><ref name=IDSA2001 /><ref name=IDSA2002 /><ref name=IDSA2003 />}}}} {{legend|#ffd800<!--corresponds to "yelloworange" at http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:EasyTimeline/syntax#Predefined_colors-->|[[Online game|Online gaming]]{{efn|IDSA/ESA-reported USA female to male gamer ratios per platform - Online gaming: <ref name=ESA2004 /><ref name=ESA2005 /><ref name=ESA2006 /><ref name=ESA2007 /><ref name=ESA2008 /><ref name=ESA2009 /><ref name=ESA2010 />}}}} |} {{clear}} {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" |+ International comparison of gamer gender ratios ! Region/Country ! Study ! 2012 Ratio<br />(female to male) ! 2013 Ratio<br />(female to male) ! 2016 Ratio<br />(female to male) |- |Australia |IGEA |47 : 53<ref>Brand, Jeffrey E.; Pascaline Lorentz; and Trishita Mathew. "[http://igea.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Digital-Australia-2014-DA14.pdf Digital Australia DA14]." ''Interactive Games & Entertainment Association''. Pg.3. 2014.</ref> |Not available |47 : 53<ref>{{cite web|last1=Brand|first1=Jeffrey|last2=S.|first2=Todhunter|title=Digital Australia (2016)|url=http://www.igea.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Digital-Australia-2016-DA16-Final.pdf|website=www.IGEA.net|publisher=Interactive Games & Entertainment Association 2015 |accessdate=12 December 2016}}</ref> |- |Canada |ESAC |46 : 54<ref name=esac2012 /> |46 : 54<ref name=esac2013 /> |49 : 51<ref>{{cite web|title=Essential Facts 2016|url=http://theesa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/2016_booklet_Web.compressed2.pdf|website=Entertainment Software Association of Canada|accessdate=12 December 2016}}</ref> |- |China |[[:zh:17173|17173]] |Not available |27 : 73<ref name="17173asia">{{cite web|url=https://www.techinasia.com/what-country-has-the-most-gamer-girls/|title=Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem|publisher=}}</ref> |Not available |- |Japan |17173 |Not available |66 : 34<ref name="17173asia" /> |Not available |- |Korea |17173 |Not available |37 : 63<ref name="17173asia" /> |Not available |- |New Zealand |IGEA |46 : 54<ref>Brand, Jeffrey E.; Pascaline Lorentz; and Trishita Mathew. "[http://igea.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Digital-New-Zealand-2014-DNZ14.pdf Digital New Zealand DNZ14]." ''Interactive Games & Entertainment Association''. Pg.3. 2014.</ref> |Not available |46 : 54<ref>{{cite web|last1=Brand|first1=Jeffrey|last2=S.|first2=Todhunter|title=Digital Australia (2016)|url=http://www.igea.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Digital-New-Zealand-2016-DNZ16.pdf|website=Interactive Software Federation of Europe|publisher=Interactive Games & Entertainment Association 2015 |accessdate=12 December 2016}}</ref> |- |USA |ESA |47 : 53<ref name=ESA2012 /> |45 : 55<ref name=ESA2013 /> |41 : 59<ref>{{cite web|title=ESSENTIAL FACTS ABOUT THE COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY|url=http://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Essential-Facts-2016.pdf|website=www.theesa.com|accessdate=12 December 2016}}</ref> |- |Europe |ISFE |45 : 55<ref name=isfe2012>Bosmans, Dirk and Paul Maskell. "[http://www.isfe.eu/sites/isfe.eu/files/attachments/euro_summary_-_isfe_consumer_study.pdf Videogames in Europe: Consumer Study]." ''[[Interactive Software Federation of Europe]]''. Pp.11, 36-51. November 2012.</ref> |Not available |Not available |- |Austria |ISFE |44 : 56<ref name=isfe2012 /> |Not available |Not available |- |Belgium |ISFE |46 : 54<ref name=isfe2012 /> |Not available |Not available |- |Czech Republic |ISFE |44 : 56<ref name=isfe2012 /> |Not available |Not available |- |Denmark |ISFE |42 : 58<ref name=isfe2012 /> |Not available |Not available |- |Finland |ISFE |49 : 51<ref name=isfe2012 /> |Not available |Not available |- |France |ISFE |47 : 53<ref name=isfe2012 /> |Not available |52 : 48<ref name=isfe2016>{{cite web|title=GameTrack Digest: Quarter 1 2016|url=http://www.isfe.eu/sites/isfe.eu/files/attachments/gametrack_european_summary_data_2016_q1.pdf|website=Interactive Software Federation of Europe|accessdate=12 December 2016|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201004101/http://www.isfe.eu/sites/isfe.eu/files/attachments/gametrack_european_summary_data_2016_q1.pdf|archivedate=1 December 2016|df=}}</ref> |- |Germany |ISFE |44 : 56<ref name=isfe2012 /> |Not available |49 : 51<ref name=isfe2016/> |- |Great Britain |ISFE |46 : 54<ref name=isfe2012 /> |Not available |42 : 58<ref name=isfe2016/> |- |Italy |ISFE |48 : 52<ref name=isfe2012 /> |Not available |Not available |- |Netherlands |ISFE |46 : 54<ref name=isfe2012 /> |Not available |Not available |- |Norway |ISFE |46 : 54<ref name=isfe2012 /> |Not available |Not available |- |Poland |ISFE |44 : 56<ref name=isfe2012 /> |Not available |Not available |- |Portugal |ISFE |43 : 57<ref name=isfe2012 /> |Not available |Not available |- |Spain |ISFE |44 : 56<ref name=isfe2012 /> |Not available |45 : 55<ref name=isfe2016/> |- |Sweden |ISFE |47 : 53<ref name=isfe2012 /> |Not available |Not available |- |Switzerland |ISFE |44 : 56<ref name=isfe2012 /> |Not available |Not available |} === Historical prevalence === *The author of ''[[Pac-Man]]'', [[Toru Iwatani]], attempted to appeal to a wider audience—beyond the typical demographics of young boys and teenagers. His intention was to attract girls to arcades because he found there were very few games that were played by women at the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/id/41888021|title=Five Things You Never Knew About Pac-Man|first=Chris|last=Morris|date=March 3, 2011|publisher=|accessdate=December 30, 2016}}</ref> ''Electronic Games'' reported in 1982 that it was "the first commercial videogame to involve large numbers of women as players";<ref>{{cite journal|last=Worley|first=Joyce|title=Women Join the Arcade Revolution|journal=[[Electronic Games]]|date=May 1982|volume=1|issue=3|pages=30–33 [33]|url=https://archive.org/stream/electronic-games-magazine-1982-05/Electronic_Games_Issue_03_Vol_01_03_1982_May#page/n31/mode/2up|accessdate=3 February 2012}}</ref> of the nine arcade games that ''How to Win Video Games'' (1982) discussed, ''Pac-Man'' was the only one with women as a majority of players.<ref name="howtowin">{{Cite book |title=How to Win Video Games |publisher=Pocket Books |year=1982 |isbn=0-671-45841-8 |pages=82-90 | url=https://archive.org/stream/book_how_to_win_video_games#page/n81/mode/2up}}</ref> In response, the sequel [[Ms. Pac-Man]], launched in 1981, featured a female protagonist. *In May 1982, sociologist Sidney J. Kaplan reported the composition of [[arcade video game]] players to be roughly 80% male and 20% female.<ref>Kaplan, Sidney J. "The Image of Amusement Arcades and Differences in Male and Female Video Game Playing". ''[[The Journal of Popular Culture]]''. Vol.17. Pp.93–98. June 1983. {{ISSN|0022-3840}} (Presented as "Amusement Arcades: Video Games and Differences in Male and Female Participation" before the [[North Central Sociological Association]]. Detroit Michigan. May 1982 annual meeting.)</ref> * ''How to Win Video Games'' estimated that men were 95% of ''[[Defender (video game)|Defender]]'' and 90% of ''[[Omega Race]]'' players, while women were half the players of ''[[Centipede (video game)|Centipede]]'', ''[[Donkey Kong (video game)|Donkey Kong]]'', and three other games.{{r|howtowin}} *In 1983, researcher John W. Trinkaus published findings that there were 8 male players to every 3 female players in video game arcades.<ref>Trinkaus, John. W. "Arcade Video Games: An Informal Look", ''[[Psychological Reports]]''. Vol.52, No.2. Pg.586. 1983. {{ISSN|0033-2941}}</ref><ref>Leroux, Yvan and Michel Pépin. "Jeu Sur Micro-Ordinateur et Différences Liées au Sexe". ''[[Revue des Sciences de l'Education]]''. Vol.XII, No.2. Pp.173-196. 1986. {{ISSN|0318-479X}}</ref> *In 1983, a [[Coleco]] executive stated at the [[Boston Computer Society]] that the target audience for the new [[Coleco Adam|Adam]] home computer, based on its [[ColecoVision]] console, was "boys age 8 to 16 and their fathers. We believe those are the two groups that really fuel computer purchases". When audience members booed, he added that the marketing strategy was based on consumer research.<ref name="coleco19830928">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg_I9TGYM-w |title=Coleco Presents The Adam Computer System |date=2016-05-03 |publisher=YouTube |orig-year=1983-09-28 |time=44:30 |quote=We're doing that with five new television commercials, which have just been completed, and which will be shown in conjunction with the Adam launch date. These commercials are each directed to our target audience, which is composed of our friendly neighborhood children, boys age 8 to 16 and their fathers. We believe those are the two groups that really fuel computer purchases, [boos] and we've directed right at 'em [more boos] - oh, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. Women, we've a commercial for you, trust me, but the key point is that our research, which is consumer research, directed that thought [inaudible] from the research, and we've directed our commercials at that target user group.}}</ref> *In 1988, Epyx CEO [[David Shannon Morse]] stated that ''[[California Games]]'' was the first game from his company to appeal equally to boys and girls during [[playtesting]].<ref name="compute198809">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/1988-09-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_100_1988_Sep#page/n11/mode/2up | title=Epyx Grows with David Morse | work=Compute! | date=September 1988 | accessdate=November 10, 2013 |author1=Ferrell, Keith |author2=Keizer, Gregg | page=10}}</ref> *In 1988, ''[[Playthings (magazine)|Playthings]]'' reported that among primary video game users, females represented 21% of all gamers.<ref>{{citation |last = Main |first = Peter |title= Column: How high is up for video games? (forecast for 1989) |publisher= [[Playthings (magazine)|Playthings]] |date = 1 October 1988}}</ref> *In 1988, a study by [[Nintendo]] reported that 27% of [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] players in the United States were female.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/06Kahle001551#page/n7/mode/2up|title=Video Game: Past, Present and Future. An Industry Overview|publisher=}}</ref> *A 1993 self-reported survey by ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' found that 7% of its readers were female.<ref name="cgw199304">{{cite news | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=105 | title=What You've Been Playing Lately | work=Computer Gaming World | date=1993-04-01 | accessdate=7 July 2014 | page=176}}</ref> *In 1994, a survey by ''[[Electronic Games]]'' reported that, among American women gamers, the [[Sega Genesis]] was most popular, with 75% ownership, followed by the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]] with 58.3% ownership, the [[Game Boy]] with 58%, and [[MS-DOS]] with 50%.<ref>''Electronic Games'', issue 23 (August 1994), pages 36-42</ref> *In 1997, Mattel, Inc. released [[Barbie Fashion Designer]], selling over 600,000 copies. The game was considered an important step in advancing an interest in the design of games for females.<ref name="Dickey2006">{{cite journal|last1=Dickey|first1=Michele D.|title=Girl gamers: the controversy of girl games and the relevance of female-oriented game design for instructional design|journal=British Journal of Educational Technology|volume=37|issue=5|year=2006|pages=785–793|issn=00071013|doi=10.1111/j.1467-8535.2006.00561.x}}</ref> *In 1998, ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' stated that the video game market for young girls was "exploding" with titles such as ''[[The American Girls Premiere]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8460578.html|title=VIRTUAL EQUALITY? SOFTWARE FIRMS FIND NEW NICHE: GAMES FOR GIRLS|last=Muller|first=Joann|date=March 29, 1998|work=The Boston Globe|access-date=|via=Highbeam}}</ref> === Self-identification as gamers === While 48% of women in the United States report having played a video game, only 6% identify as [[gamer]]s, compared to 15% of men who identify as gamers.<ref name="pewGamer2015">{{cite web|url=http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/12/15/attitudes-about-video-games/|last=Duggan|first=Maeve|publisher=Pew Research Center|title=Gaming and Gamers}}</ref> This rises to 9% among women aged 18–29, compared to 33% of men in that age group. Half of female [[Pc game|PC gamers]] in the U.S. consider themselves to be [[Gamer#Dedication spectrum|core or hardcore gamers]].<ref name="pcgamerFemale">{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/researchers-find-that-female-pc-gamers-outnumber-males/|title=Researchers find that female PC gamers outnumber males|publisher=}}</ref><ref name="superdataWhyAll">{{cite web|url=https://www.superdataresearch.com/blog/why-all-gamers-matter/|title=SuperData Research - Games data and market research » Why ALL gamers matter — my view as a female games analyst|publisher=}}</ref> In 2012 a [[EEDAR]] survey found that nearly 60 percent of female gamers played on mobile devices and that 63 percent of these female mobile gamers played online multiplayer mobile games.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.vg247.com/2012/10/03/nearly-60-of-mobile-gamers-are-women-says-analyst/ | title= Nearly 60% of mobile gamers are women, says analyst|publisher=Vg247.com|accessdate=2015-04-09}}</ref> Connotations of "gamer" with sexism on the fringe of gaming culture has caused women to be less willing to adopt the label.<ref name="nytimesShunLabel">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/17/technology/personaltech/women-who-play-games-shun-gamer-label.html|last=McPhate|first=Mike|work=The New York Times|title=Women Who Play Games Shun 'Gamer' Label}}</ref> "Girl gamers" or "gamer girls" is a label for women who regularly play games. While some critics have advocated use of the label as a [[Reappropriation|reappropriated term]],<ref name=hex /> others have described the term as unhelpful,<ref name=ng /><ref name=hamilton /> offensive, and even harmful or misleading. The word "girl", for example, has been seen as an inherently age-linked term that glosses over the difference between women over 30 and younger women.<ref name=dillon /> The term "girl gamer" rather than simply "gamer" has also been described as perpetuating the minority position of female gamers.<ref name=hex /> For many critics uncomfortable with the term "girl gamer", its over-embracement may lead to the perpetuation of negative stereotypes<ref name=hex /> of female gamers as [[Sexual objectification|oversexualized]], casual, and sometimes defiant or confrontational.<ref>Wilde, Tyler. ''[http://www.gamesradar.com/the-top-7-girl-gamer-stereotypes The Top 7... Girl gamer stereotypes]''. [[GamesRadar]]. 18 August 2008.</ref><ref>Trinder, Aja. ''[http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/technology/the-box/646926/Not-a-Girl-Gamer-just-a-gamer Not a Girl Gamer just a gamer]''. [[Stuff.co.nz]]. 29 September 2008.</ref> This in turn can result in poor game design.<ref name=dillon /> These critics submit that there is no single definition of a female gamer, and that women gamers are as diverse as any other group of people.<ref name=kelly /> A lack of role models for female gamers<ref name=brown>Brown, Janelle. ''[https://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/1996/11/516 Girl Gamers: Sugar, Spice, Everything Profitable?]''. [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]. 19 November 1996.</ref> contributes to a feeling that they should edit their femininity in order to maintain credibility as a gamer, and that they must fit into the caricatured role of the "girl gamer" in order to be accepted.<ref name=hex /> Negative stereotyping of female video game players as "girl gamers" quite often comes from male gamers who have themselves been negatively stereotyped by the broader society.<ref name=hex /> Social stigma against games has influenced some women to distance themselves from the term "[[gamer]]", even though they may play regularly.<ref name=spark /><ref name="adaNotGamers" /><ref name="newmediaDoYou">{{cite journal|url=http://nms.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/06/15/1461444811410394|last=Shaw|first=Adrienne|title=Do you identify as a gamer? Gender, race, sexuality, and gamer identity|date=June 16, 2011|journal=New Media & Society|volume=14|pages=28–44|doi=10.1177/1461444811410394}}</ref><ref name="newstatesmanLoveGames">{{cite web|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/if-you-love-games-you-are-not-a-gamer|last=Parkin|first=Simon|work=New Statesman|title=If you love games, you should refuse to be called a gamer|date=December 9, 2013}}</ref> Parental influence has been theorized to perpetuate some of the stereotypes that female gamers face as boys are bought gifts like [[Xbox (console)|Xboxes]] while girls are bought girl-focused games like [[Barbie video games|''Barbie'']] or educational games.<ref name=spark /> Controversially, some{{which|date=December 2015}} critics have suggested that the term "gamer" is endemic to the stereotypical male audience and has become outmoded by the industry's changing demographics.<ref name="newstatesmanLoveGames" /><ref name="slateJournalismOver">{{cite web|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/bitwise/2014/09/gamergate_explodes_gaming_journalists_declare_the_gamers_are_over_but_they.html|title=Gaming Journalism Is Over|first=David|last=Auerbach|date=4 September 2014|publisher=|via=Slate}}</ref> == Genre preferences == {{See also|Non-violent video game#Gender perspective}} There are considerable differences between the [[video game genre]]s preferred, on average, by women and men. According to a 2017 report by the video game analytics company Quantic Foundry, based on surveys of about 270,000 gamers, the following proportions of gamers within a genre are women or men, respectively:<ref>{{cite web|last1=Yee|first1=Nick|title=Beyond 50/50: Breaking Down The Percentage of Female Gamers By Genre|url=http://quanticfoundry.com/2017/01/19/female-gamers-by-genre/|website=Quantic Foundry|accessdate=20 January 2017|date=19 January 2017}}</ref> {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Genre !! Women !! Men |- | [[Match-3]] || 69% || 31% |- | Family or farming [[Simulation video game|simulator]] || 69% || 31% |- | Casual [[Puzzle video game|puzzle]]|| 42% || 58% |- | Atmospheric [[exploration game|exploration]] || 41% || 59% |- | [[Interactive drama]] || 37% || 63% |- | High fantasy [[Massively multiplayer online game|MMO]] || 36% || 64% |- | [[Japanese RPG]] || 33% || 66% |- | Western [[Role-playing video game|RPG]] || 26% || 74% |- | [[Survival game|Survival]] [[roguelike]] || 25% || 75% |- | [[Platformer]] || 25% || 75% |- | [[City-building game|City-building]] || 22% || 78% |- | [[Action RPG]] || 20% || 80% |- | [[Sandbox game|Sandbox]] || 18% || 82% |- | [[Action-adventure]] || 18% || 82% |- | Sci-fi MMO || 16% || 84% |- | [[Open world]] || 14% || 86% |- | [[Turn-based strategy]] || 11% || 89% |- | [[MOBA]] || 10% || 90% |- | [[Grand strategy wargame|Grand strategy]] || 7% || 93% |- | [[First-person shooter]] || 7% || 93% |- | [[Racing video game|Racing]] || 6% || 94% |- | [[Tactical shooter]] || 4% || 96% |- | [[Sports game|Sports]] || 2% || 98% |} While male audiences prefer fast-paced explosive action and combat,<ref name=hamilton /> women tend to prefer in-game communication<ref name=dillon /> and interpersonal relationships (character development and plot dynamics).<ref name=hamilton /> Women have also been shown to prefer [[role-playing video game]]s to first-person shooters,<ref name=hamilton /> and [[Thomas W. Malone]] of Stanford University found that girls preferred to play a [[Hangman (game)|Hangman]] video game over a darts simulation that boys enjoyed.<ref name="malone198112">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1981-12/1981_12_BYTE_06-12_Computer_Games#page/n259/mode/2up | title=What Makes Computer Games Fun? | work=BYTE | date=December 1981 | accessdate=12 August 2015 | author=Malone, Thomas W. | pages=258–277}}</ref> In-game activities may also differ between the sexes in games with less linear plots such as the [[Grand Theft Auto|''Grand Theft Auto'' series]]. Women are often characterized as preferring story-driven games or constructive games like ''[[The Sims]]'' or ''[[Civilization (series)|Civilization]]'', but this is not universally true.<ref name=kelly /> In 2013, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' reported that thirty percent of women were playing more violent games. Of this 30%, 20% played [[Call of Duty]] and 15% played [[Grand Theft Auto]].<ref name=variety2013/> There has been persistent female interest in [[action-adventure game]]s and [[Massively multiplayer online role-playing game|MMORPGs]] like ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' and ''[[Second Life]]''.<ref name=dillon /> Compared to males, female MMORPG players tend to place more emphasis on socialization relative to achievement-oriented play. This emphasis on socialization extends beyond just the game itself: In a study published in the ''Journal of Communication'' in 2009, researchers found that 61% of female MMORPG players played with a romantic partner, compared to 24% of men.<ref>{{cite journal|first1=Dmitri|last1=Williams|first2=Mia|last2=Consalvo|first3=Scott|last3=Caplan|first4=Nick|last4=Yee|title=Looking for Gender: Roles and Behaviors Among Online Gamers|journal=Journal of Communication|year=2009|volume=59|issue=4|pages=700–725|doi=10.1111/j.1460-2466.2009.01453.x}}</ref> According to data collected by Quantic Foundry in 2016, the primary motivations why people play video games differ, on average, by gender. While men frequently want most to compete with others and destroy things, women often want most to complete challenges and immerse themselves in other worlds:<ref>{{cite web|last1=Yee|first1=Nick|title=7 Things We Learned About Primary Gaming Motivations From Over 250,000 Gamers|url=http://quanticfoundry.com/2016/12/15/primary-motivations/|website=Quantic Foundry|accessdate=20 January 2017|date=15 December 2016}}</ref> {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Primary motivation !! Description !! Women !! Men |- | Completion || Finishing everything, finding all collectibles and locations || 17% || 10% |- | Fantasy || Immersion in and exploring other worlds || 16% || 09% |- | Design || Expressing themselves, building or customizing things || 15% || 06% |- | Community || Socializing and collaborating with others || 10% || 09% |- | Story || Elaborate narrative, well-developed characters || 09% || 06% |- | Destruction || Blowing things up, creating chaos || 08% || 12% |- | Discovery || Asking "what if?", looking for novel outcomes || 07% || 06% |- | Competition || Competing with other players || 05% || 14% |- | Strategy || Decision-making and planning, balancing resources and goals || 05% || 08% |- | Power || Maximizing power in the game, obtaining the best items || 04% || 06% |- | Excitement || Action, thrills, fast-paced gameplay || 03% || 06% |- | Challenge || Exercising personal skill and ability, requiring practice || 03%|| 07% |} While video games and advertising were initially gender-neutral, advertising began to narrow its focus to young boys as a [[target market]] following the [[video game crash of 1983]].<ref name="polygonNoGirls">{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/12/2/5143856/no-girls-allowed|last=Lien|first=Tracey|work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|title=No Girls Allowed|date=December 2, 2013}}</ref><ref name="adaNotGamers">{{cite journal|url=http://adanewmedia.org/2013/06/issue2-shaw/|last=Shaw|first=Adrienne|title=On Not Becoming Gamers: Moving Beyond the Constructed Audience|journal=Ada|issue=2|date=October 2014}}</ref><ref name="overlandBrendan">{{cite web|url=https://overland.org.au/previous-issues/issue-218/feature-brendan-keogh/|title=Hackers, gamers and cyborgs|publisher=overland.org.au|date= Autumn 2015|first= Brendan|last=Keogh}}</ref> Although commercial hits such as ''[[Myst]]'' and ''The Sims'' appealed to women, these were nonetheless seen by some as being outside the gaming mainstream. Critic [[Ian Bogost]] opined, "We're looking at where there isn't diversity and we're saying those games are the most valid games."<ref name="polygonNoGirls" /> Industry studies on the lack of females in gaming have also suffered at times from biases of interpretation. Kevin Kelly of [[Joystiq]] has suggested that a high degree of [[circular reasoning]] is evident when male developers use focus groups and research numbers to determine what kinds of games girls play. After making a bad game that targets those areas suggested by the marketing research, the game's lack of popularity among both genders is often attributed to the incorrect prejudice that "girls don't play games" rather than the true underlying problems such as poor quality and playability of the game. Whereas market data and research are important to reveal that markets exist, argues Kelly, they shouldn't be the guiding factor in how to make a game that appeals to girls.<ref name=kelly /> The argument has also been advanced that emphasis on market research is often skewed by the participants in the study. In studies on male gamers of the baby boomer generation, for example, players displayed a marked aversion to violence. The incorrect conclusion that could be drawn from this result—that men dislike violent games—may also be comparable to incorrect conclusions drawn from some female-oriented gaming studies.<ref name=dillon /> It has been suggested that developers can learn what girls want in a game by observing similarities in how different girl teams will react to and modify a game if given the opportunity.<ref name=dillon /> [[File:Casio-Loopy-Console-Set.jpg|thumb|The [[Casio Loopy]], created by [[Casio]] and released in October 1995 in Japan, was unique in that the marketing for it was completely targeted to female gamers.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Jackson|first1=Leah B.|title=Man Sets Guinness World Record for Largest Game Collection|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/12/24/man-sets-guinness-world-record-for-largest-game-collection|publisher=[[IGN.com]]|accessdate=11 February 2018|date=24 December 2013}}</ref>]] In the past, "[[girl games]]" have frequently been created by adapting girl-oriented material in other media like ''[[The Baby-sitters Club]]'', ''[[Barbie]]'', and ''[[Nancy Drew]]''<ref name=brown /> while leaving male-targeted genres such as sport and driving sims, role playing games, and first person shooters to the boys.<ref name=yap /> This has begun to change, however, with the expansion of entrepreneurial feminism and the concept of "games by girls for girls" that has been embraced by companies such as [[Her Interactive]], [[Silicon Sisters]] and [[Purple Moon]]—all video gaming start ups that are female owned and largely female staffed. Creating games designed with regard to sociological, psychological, and cognitive research into girls' cultural interests, such companies hope to awaken a female-only market emphasizing fundamental differences between what girls want and what boys want in gaming.<ref name=nzegwu /> The movement to expand the existing market to include females through the development of gender-neutral games has also had a number of advocates. Critics have proposed that female gamers, especially older female gamers<ref name=hamilton /> prefer gender-neutral games such as ''[[Tetris]]'', ''[[Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?]]'', or the ''[[King's Quest]]'' games to "girl games".<ref name=brown /><ref name=yap /> In examining game play habits at [[Internet café]]s, South Korea has seen a rise in female gamers publicly playing games such as ''[[Lineage (video game)|Lineage]]'', while in other Asian countries this kind of public female gaming has remained rare; similarly, games such as ''[[Tamagotchi]]'' are seen as a gender neutral in Japan, but have been regarded as girls' games in the West.<ref name=dillon /> In other cases, female trends in one country may be indicators of associated changes in others, as in the case of a rising number of female ''Lineage'' players in Korea having led to increased number of female ''Lineage'' players in Taiwan. In Japan the rise of [[Kawaii|cute culture]] and its associated marketing has made gaming accessible for girls, and this trend has also carried over to Taiwan and recently China (both countries previously having focused mostly on [[Massively multiplayer online game|MMOs]] and where parents usually place harsher restrictions on daughters than on sons).<ref name=dillon /> == Skill levels == An aspect of game design that has been identified as negatively impacting female interest is the degree of expertise with gaming conventions and familiarity with [[Game controller|game controls]] required to play the game.<ref name=spark /> In-game tutorials have been found to bring both sexes into games faster,<ref name=kelly /> and new controllers such as Nintendo's [[Wii Remote]], Microsoft's [[Kinect]], and the [[Game controller#Variants|various rhythm game controllers]] have affected demographics by making games easier to pick up and by providing a level playing-field.<ref name=spark /> This trend has continued through the efforts of [[Nintendo]] in its release of the [[Wii]].<ref name=watts>Watts, Steve. ''[http://www.1up.com/news/report-suggests-female-gaming-rise Report Suggests Female Gaming on the Rise] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023055758/http://www.1up.com/news/report-suggests-female-gaming-rise |date=2013-10-23 }}''. [[1UP.com]]. 29 June 2009.</ref> [[Leigh Alexander (journalist)|Leigh Alexander]] argued that appealing to women does not necessarily entail reduced difficulty or complexity.<ref name="edgeDumbingDown">{{cite web|url=http://www.edge-online.com/features/too-many-gamers-think-diversity-means-dumbing-down-its-time-to-forget-that-outmoded-view/ |last=Alexander |first=Leigh |work=Edge |title=Too many gamers think diversity means dumbing down – it's time to forget that outmoded view |date=August 16, 2013 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713174818/http://www.edge-online.com/features/too-many-gamers-think-diversity-means-dumbing-down-its-time-to-forget-that-outmoded-view/ |archivedate=July 13, 2014 }}</ref> In 2012, the developers of [[Borderlands 2]] were criticized for referring to a reduced difficulty option as "girlfriend mode".<ref name="gameranxGirlfriendMode">{{cite web|url=http://www.gameranx.com/features/id/8535/article/girlfriend-mode-casual-sexism-in-the-game-industry/|last=Cheong|first=Ian Miles|work=Gameranx|title=Girlfriend Mode: Casual Sexism in the Game Industry|date=August 13, 2012}}</ref> Yet, the perceived skill or performance gap between men and women may be fueled by other factors besides gender. In a 2016 study published in the ''Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication,'' researchers found that, after controlling for confounds such as the amount of play time and guild membership, women players advance at least as fast as men do in two MMOs, [[EverQuest II]] and [[cmn:剑侠情缘网络版III|Chevaliers' Romance III]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Shen|first=Cuihua|last2=Ratan|first2=Rabindra|last3=Cai|first3=Y. Dora|last4=Leavitt|first4=Alex|date=2016-05-01|title=Do Men Advance Faster Than Women? Debunking the Gender Performance Gap in Two Massively Multiplayer Online Games|url=http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcc4.12159/abstract|journal=Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication|language=en|pages=312–329|doi=10.1111/jcc4.12159|issn=1083-6101|volume=21}}</ref> === Male behavior towards female gamers === {{Main|Sexism in video gaming}} A 2015 study found that lower-skilled male players of ''[[Halo 3]]'' were more hostile towards teammates with a female voice, but behaved more submissively to players with a male voice. Higher-skilled male players, on the other hand, behaved more positively towards female players. The authors argued the male hostility towards female gamers in terms of [[evolutionary psychology]], writing, "female-initiated disruption of a male hierarchy incites hostile behaviour from poor performing males who stand to lose the most status".<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0131613|pmid=26176699|title=Insights into Sexism: Male Status and Performance Moderates Female-Directed Hostile and Amicable Behaviour|journal=PLOS ONE|volume=10|issue=7|pages=e0131613|year=2015|last1=Kasumovic|first1=Michael M.|last2=Kuznekoff|first2=Jeffrey H.|pmc=4503401|bibcode=2015PLoSO..1031613K}}</ref> === Women in competitive gaming === {{Expand section|date=August 2014}} The top female players in [[Esports|competitive gaming]] mainly get exposure in female-only tournaments, including such games as ''[[Counter-Strike]]'', ''[[Dead or Alive 4]]'', and ''[[StarCraft II]]''. Canadian ''StarCraft II'' player [[Sasha Hostyn]] (Scarlett) first gained notoriety in the open qualifiers of IGN ProLeague 4, where she defeated top-tier Korean players. She is well known for being one of the few non-Korean players who can play at the same skill level as male Korean players.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailydot.com/esports/sasha-scarlett-hostyn-starcraft-esports/|title=Meet Scarlett, the 20-year-old woman who's blazing trails in 'StarCraft'|website=The Daily Dot|publisher=dailydot.com|date=21 December 2013|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029105206/http://www.dailydot.com/esports/sasha-scarlett-hostyn-starcraft-esports/|archivedate=29 October 2016|df=}}</ref> In 2012, ''[[Street Fighter x Tekken]]'' player ArisBakhtanians commented on the lack of female players in the community, saying "[[sexual harassment]] is part of a culture, and if you remove that from the fighting game community, it's not the fighting game community."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/02/is-pervasive-sexism-holding-the-professional-fighting-game-community-back/|title=Is pervasive sexism holding the professional fighting game community back?|publisher=ARS Technica|author=Kyle Orland|date=29 Feb 2012|accessdate=27 Dec 2014}}</ref> He later apologized for his comments.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/02/women-are-gamers-but-largely-absent-from-e-sports/|title=Women are gamers, but largely absent from "e-sports"|publisher=ARS Technica|author=Casey Johnston|date=18 Feb 2014|accessdate=27 Dec 2014}}</ref> In 2014, organizers for a ''[[Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft|Hearthstone]]'' tournament in Finland were criticized for limiting registrations to male players only.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/02/hearthstone-heroes-warcraft-tournament-ban-female-finland|title=Hearthstone gaming tournament bans women players – ignites 'sexism' row|publisher=theguardian.com|date=2 July 2014}}</ref> This was due to the tournament being an offline qualifier for the IeSF World Championship, with its ''Hearthstone'' tournament only open to male players. The winner of the Finnish qualifier would risk not being eligible to participate in the main event if that player were female.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/2014/07/02/hearthstone-tournament/|title=Hearthstone tournament explains why women aren't allowed to play [updated]|publisher=pcgamer.com|date=2 July 2014}}</ref> The IeSF organization ultimately removed the male-only restriction from all of their tournaments, and in turn the Finnish qualifier that originally sparked the controversy also removed this restriction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/2014/07/03/iesf-removes-male-only-restriction-from-its-e-sports-tournaments/|title=IeSF removes male-only restriction from its e-sports tournaments|publisher=pcgamer.com|date=3 July 2014}}</ref> In December 2015, Kayla "Squizzy" Squires became the first female ''[[Call of Duty]]'' player to turn professional upon qualifying for the Call of Duty World League in the Australian region.<ref>{{Cite web|title = The First Female To Qualify For The Call Of Duty World League Is Australian|url = http://www.kotaku.com.au/2015/12/the-first-female-to-qualify-for-the-call-of-duty-world-league-is-australian/|website = www.kotaku.com.au|accessdate = 17 December 2015}}</ref> League of Legends player Maria (Sakuya) Creveling, who at the time was known as Remilia or (Remi), finished first in the 2015 Challenger Series Summer Split along with her teammates Renegades which qualified the team for the 2016 North America League Championship Series (NA LCS) Spring Split.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thescoreesports.com/lol/news/11201-sakuya-on-returning-to-competitive-lol-and-entering-the-latin-american-scene|title=Sakuya on returning to competitive LoL and entering the Latin American scene|publisher=}}</ref> She became both the first female and also the first transgender player to compete professionally in the (NA LCS). She joined Renegades as their support player but decided to step down from the team's starting roster three weeks into the 2016 (NA LCS) Spring Split citing anxiety and self-esteem issues as part of her reasoning behind leaving the team.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wwjtd/2015/08/professional-league-of-legends-to-get-its-first-female-and-transgender-player/|title=Professional League of Legends to get its first female and transgender player|date=August 15, 2015|author=JT Eberhard|work=Patheos}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/the-league-of-legends-championship-series-has-its-first-1724136651|title=The League Of Legends Championship Series Has Its First Woman Player|first=Yannick|last=LeJacq|publisher=}}</ref> On March 17, 2016, the esports organization ''Team Secret'' entered the ''[[Counter-Strike: Global Offensive|CS:GO]]'' competitive scene with female player Julia "juliano" Kiran as the in-game leader.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://greatfrag.com/news/team-secret-sing-we-run-this-place|title=GreatFrag - WeRunThisPlace signed by Team Secret|publisher=greatfrag.com|date=17 March 2016}}</ref> They proceeded to win the female tournament at Copenhagen Games 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://csgo.99damage.de/de/news/37753-copenhagen-games-2016-sind-beendet|title=Copenhagen Games 2016 sind beendet|publisher=99damage.de|date=26 March 2016}}</ref> == Women in the video game industry == {{see also|List of notable women in the video game industry}} In 1989, according to ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', women constituted only 3% of the gaming industry.<ref name=variety2013 /> In 2013, Gary Carr (the creative director of [[Lionhead Studios]]) predicted that within the next 5 to 10 years, the games development workforce would be 50% female.<ref name=variety2013 /> According to [[Gamasutra]]'s Game Developer Salary Survey 2014, women in the United States made 86 cents for every dollar men made. Game designing woman had the closest equity, making 96 cents for every dollar men made in the same job, while audio professional women had the largest gap, making 68% of what men in the same position made.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/221586/Gender_wage_gap_How_the_game_industry_compares_to_the_US_average.php | first=Kris | last=Graft | title=Gender wage gap: How the game industry compares to the U.S. average | publisher=[[Gamasutra]] | date=July 22, 2014 | accessdate=December 27, 2015}}</ref> The following table shows the proportion of women among game developers in several countries in 2005 to 2010.<ref>{{cite conference |url= |title= Harnessing the Power of Persuasion: Strategies towards Increasing Women's Participation in Japan's Game Industry ''(Key Note Speech)''|author1-last= Okabe |author1-first= Mimi |date= |year= 2016 |conference= Replaying Japan 2016|conference-url= |editor= |others= |volume= |edition= |book-title= |publisher= |location= Leipzig, Germany |pages= |format= |id= |isbn= |bibcode= |oclc= |doi= |access-date= 27 April 2017|quote= |ref= |postscript= |language= |page= |at= |trans-title= }}</ref> {| class="wikitable" !Country !Year !Percentage |- |[[Japan]] |2010 |12.8%<ref>Fujihara (2010)</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=April 2017}} |- |[[Canada]] |2005 |10-15%<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Dyer-Whitheford|first1= N.|last2= Sharman|first2= Z.|date= 2005|title= The political economy of Canada's video and computer game industry|url= http://www.cjc-online.ca/index.php/journal/article/viewFile/1575/1729|journal= Canadian Journal of Communication|volume= |issue= 20|at= 187-210 at 203|doi= |access-date= 29 April 2017}}</ref> |- |[[Australia]] |2010 |>10%<ref>{{cite conference |url= |title= |author1-last= Geneve |author1-first= Anitza |author2-last= Nelson |author2-first= Karen J. |author3-last= Christie |author3-first= Ruth J. |date= 12–13 June 2008 |year= |conference= Investigating the Theory and Practice of Gender and Sexuality in the Workplace|conference-url= |editor= |others= |volume= |edition= |book-title= Girly girls and geeky guys |publisher= |location= Surrey, United Kingdom |pages= |format= |id= |isbn= |bibcode= |oclc= |doi= |access-date= |quote= |ref= |postscript= |language= |page= |at= |trans-title= }}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=April 2017}} |- |[[United States]] |2005 |11.5%<ref>{{cite report |author= Gourdin, A. |author-link= |authors= |date= 2005|title= Game developers demographics: An exploration of workforce diversity|url= http://www.igda.org/resource/collection/9215B88F-2AA3-4471-B44D-B5D58FF25DC7/IGDA_DeveloperDemographics_Oct05.pdf| publisher= [[International Game Developers Association]] |page= 12|docket= |access-date= 29 April 2017|quote= }}</ref> |- |[[UK]] |2009 |4%<ref>{{cite report |author= |author-link= |authors= |date= 2009|title= The results of the seventh census of the Creative Media Industries|url= https://creativeskillset.org/assets/0000/5069/2009_Employment_Census_of_the_Creative_Media_Industries.pdf| publisher= CreativeSkillset.org |page= 16|docket= |access-date= |quote= }} (also available via the [[European Institute for Gender Equality|EIGE]] [http://eige.europa.eu/gender-mainstreaming/resources/united-kingdom/skillset-census-2009-results-seventh-census-creative-media-industries here])</ref> |} === Support groups for women in the video game industry === ==== WIGSIG (Women In Games Special Interest Group) ==== WIGSIG is a special interest group of IDGA (International Game Developers Association). The group was formed in order to foster a positive impact on the game industry regarding gender balance in the workplace and/or marketplace. It provides a community, resources, and opportunities for people in the gaming industry. It also works to assess the numbers of the women in the games industry and tracks the changes of these numbers over time. Additionally, it works to recruit women into the games industry and make the field more attractive to women while providing them with the support and connections they need to be successful.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://women.igda.org/about/ |title=About &#124; WIGSIG |publisher=Women.igda.org |date= |accessdate=2015-04-08}}</ref> ==== Women in Games International ==== Founded in 2005, Women in Games International (WIGI), made up of both female and male professionals, works to promote the inclusion and advancement of women in the global games industry. WIGI promotes diversity in video game development, publishing, media, education and workplaces, based on a fundamental belief that increased equality and camaraderie among genders can make global impacts for superior products, more consumer enjoyment and a stronger gaming industry. Women In Games International stands as strong advocates for issues crucial to the success of women and men in the games industry, including a better work/life balance, healthy working conditions, increased opportunities for success and resources for career support.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://getwigi.com/ |title=missionstatement |publisher=getwigi.com |date= |accessdate=2016-09-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://getwigi.com|title=WIGI Home|publisher=}}</ref> ==== WIGJ (Women In Games Jobs) ==== WIGJ is a group that works to recruit, preserve, and provide support for the advancement of women in the games industry by positively and energetically endorsing female role models and providing encouragement and information to women interested in working in the gaming field. The group was incorporated under the UK's [[Companies Act 2006]] on June 2, 2011 as a "not for profit" or Community Interest Company. Companies in the game development industry have, in recent years, been seeking to balance the gender ratios on development teams and consoles like the [[Wii]] and [[Nintendo DS]] have seen increased numbers of female players. In addition to using this growing interest in women in the game developing industry, WIGJ works to put more women in traditional game development with less stigma attached to them. WIGJ seeks to help women find their place within the growing and rewarding field of game development.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.womeningamesjobs.com |title=(WIGJ) for more women in gaming |publisher=Womeningamesjobs.com |date= |accessdate=2015-04-08}}</ref> == Women in video game streaming == The relationship between women and [[video game live streaming]] has been a rocky one. As streaming services such as YouTube and Twitch became increasingly popular, female gamers began to jump on board. Many notable streamers arose from this streaming revolution including Hafu, Glitterlanced, and Sovitia. Geneviève Forget, a video game streamer, states in a Kotaku interview that "Harassment does happen in my stream chat from time to time that people start discussing my appearance but it really isn't the focus on my stream. I'd like to think people come back to watch it because it is quite entertaining and I try to interact with the chat as much as possible."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = They're Attractive, They're Women, And They Play Games Live On The Internet. But They're Not 'Camwhores.'|url = http://kotaku.com/5982137/theyre-attractive-theyre-women-and-they-play-games-live-on-the-internet-but-theyre-not-camwhores|website = Kotaku|accessdate = 2015-12-08|language = en-US}}</ref> Female streamers are most often criticized for purportedly using services like Twitch as an alternative to soft-core cam websites to solicit donations by performing sexually suggestive acts. Many male gamers, who dominate the industry, correlate female streamers' success to this behavior. Vivyan Andrew, a 29-year-old twitch streamer addresses this in an interview with Kotaku, ""Yes, if you're a woman and you're streaming, the misconceptions are that you're seeking attention and/or trying to use your 'assets' to receive donations. The misconceptions are very superficial as they invalidate the streamer as a person and what she has to offer beyond her appearance."<ref name=":0" /> Terence Chiang of MMOs.com, writes, "gaming as a 'male hobby' seems to be integrated into our society, with the computer and technology areas commonly being seen as 'Masculine'."<ref>{{Cite web|title = Girl Gamers in Streaming and eSports|url = http://mmos.com/editorials/girl-gamers-in-streaming-and-esports|website = MMOs.com|accessdate = 2015-12-08|language = en-US}}</ref> This social integration makes the acceptance of female entry into gaming as a legitimate pastime difficult. Research has found that 52% of the gaming world is made up of females,<ref>{{Cite web|title = 52% of gamers are women – but the industry doesn't know it {{!}} Meg Jayanth|url = https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/18/52-percent-people-playing-games-women-industry-doesnt-know|website = the Guardian|accessdate = 2015-12-08}}</ref> but most remain less visible in the context of the dominant culture, due to the stereotypes between masculinity and gaming. == Gender disparity == {{See also|Gender representation in video games}} Critics attribute the seeming lack of female interest in video games to the negative [[portrayal of women in video games]] and to [[Misogyny|misogynistic]] attitudes common among professional and hardcore gamers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/misc/22786_To_My_Someday_Daughter.html|author=Geordie Tait|title=To My Someday Daughter|publisher=Starcitygames.com|accessdate=2015-04-08}}</ref> A 2012 [[Twitter]] discussion among women working in games, collated under the [[hashtag]] ''#1reasonwhy'', argued that sexist practices such as the oversexualization of female characters, disinterest in topics that matter to women, as well as workplace harassment and unequal pay for men and women were common in the games industry.<ref>{{cite news|last=Locker|first=Melissa|title=#1ReasonWhy: Women Take to Twitter to Talk about Sexism in Video Game Industry|url=http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/11/27/1reasonwhy-women-take-to-twitter-to-talk-about-sexism-in-video-game-industry/|accessdate=29 November 2012|newspaper=[[TIME magazine]]|date=27 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Plunkett|first=Luke|title=Here's a Devastating Account of the Crap Women in the Games Business Have to Deal With. In 2012.|url=http://kotaku.com/5963528/heres-a-devastating-account-of-the-crap-women-in-the-games-business-have-to-deal-with-in-2012|accessdate=29 November 2012|newspaper=[[Kotaku]]|date=27 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Hamilton|first=Mary|title=#1reasonwhy: the hashtag that exposed games industry sexism|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2012/nov/28/games-industry-sexism-on-twitter|accessdate=29 November 2012|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=28 November 2012}}</ref> Regarding elements of game design, areas such as gameplay, mechanics, and similar features have been described as gender neutral, however presentational aspects of games have been identified as strongly gender-linked. Specifically, gaming is often seen as fantasy and escapism in which empathy and identification with the character is much more easily achieved if the character shares the same gender as the player.<ref name=hex>[[Stephanie Bendixsen|Bendixsen, Stephanie 'Hex']]. ''[http://www.abc.net.au/technology/articles/2011/02/16/3140624.htm Games 4 Girlz?]''. [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]]. 16 February 2011.</ref> Gamers of both genders tend to crave realism and the more realistic the gender of the character, the easier it is for a player to identify with the character.<ref name=ng>Ng, Amy. ''[http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9805/25/girls.games.idg What it takes to entice the female gamer]''. [[CNN]]. 25 May 1998.</ref> A 2009 academic study published in ''[[New Media & Society]]'', however, found that 85% of playable characters in video games are male.<ref name=spark /><ref>{{cite journal |last= Williams|first= Dmitri|last2= Martins|first2= Nicole|last3= Consalvo|first3= Mia|last4= Ivory|first4= James D.|date= 2009|title= The Virtual Census: Representations of Gender, Race and Age in Video Games|journal= [[New Media & Society]]|publisher= [[Sage Publications]]|volume= 11|issue= 5|pages= 815–834|doi= 10.1177/1461444809105354 }}</ref> Erin Hamilton argues that part of the problem comes from the difficulty in "juxtaposing [[femininity]] and [[feminism]] in a good video game."<ref name=hamilton>Hamilton, Erin. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20090211101758/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/gamespotting/102702/8.html The Girl Gamer's Manifesto]". GameSpot. 2008.</ref> When female characters do appear in video games, they are often regarded as presenting unhealthy messages concerning unrealistic body images and provocative sexual and violent behaviors for players of both genders.<ref>O'Brien, Lucy. ''[http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/games/2396496/Confessions-of-a-girl-gamer Confessions of a girl gamer]''. [[Stuff.co.nz]]. 9 May 2009.</ref> Stereotypical female behaviors such as giggling or sighing are often presented non-ironically, and this leads young children (especially girls who identify with the female character) to think that this is how girls are supposed to look and act.<ref name=reuters>''[https://web.archive.org/web/20030805000714/http://abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/DailyNews/videogamestudy001214.html Not a Pretty Picture]''. [[Reuters]] (via [[ABC News]]). 2000.</ref> Furthermore, over-sexualized depictions<ref name=ng /><ref name=spark /> of scantily clad female video game characters such as ''[[Tomb Raider]]'''s [[Lara Croft]]<ref name=hamilton /> are not appealing to some girls.<ref name=kelly>Kelly, Kevin. ''[http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/21/sxsw-getting-girls-into-the-game-designing-and-marketing-games SXSW: Getting Girls Into The Game: Designing and Marketing Games for Female Players]''. [[Joystiq]]. 21 March 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Behm-Morawitz|first=Elizabeth|title=The Effects of the Sexualization of Female VideoGame Characters on Gender Stereotypingand Female Self-Concept|url=https://www.academia.edu/1865189/The_Effects_of_the_Sexualization_of_Female_Video_Game_Characters_on_Gender_Stereotyping_and_Female_Self-Concept|publisher=Department of Communication, University of Missouri-Columbia|accessdate=21 April 2014}}</ref> Although some of the population of male gamers have been the source of [[Sexual harassment in video gaming|harassment towards female gamers]] and over-sexualization of the characters,<ref>{{cite web|last=Wallace|first=Amanda|title=Your Argument is Invalid: Harassment Against Female Gamers|url=http://www.gameskinny.com/b0zks/your-argument-is-invalid-harassment-against-female-gamers|publisher=Game Skinny|accessdate=5 May 2014}}</ref> there are many men in the gaming industry who agree that there is a problem with female over-sexualization in gaming.<ref>{{cite web|last=Meixsell|first=Jesse|title=Female sexualization in gaming: a male gamer's perspective|url=https://venturebeat.com/2014/04/14/female-sexualization-in-gaming-a-male-gamers-perspective/|publisher=Games Beat|accessdate=5 May 2014}}</ref> There are also male gamers who argue that some of the sexualization of women in video games also applies to men in video games and that portraying a man or woman in a video game in a sexual way can be acceptable if done in the right context.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pleasure|first=Crymson Pleasure|title=He said what? A male perspective on females in gaming|url=http://realwomenofgaming.wordpress.com/2014/04/04/he-said-what-a-male-perspective-on-females-in-gaming/|publisher=Real Women of Gaming|accessdate=5 May 2014}}</ref> Perceptions about stereotypes concerning gamers themselves also vary among genders, as well as playing frequency of game genres. A study in the ''Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media'' said that women who play a lot of video games disagree more with stereotypes concerning gender in gaming and are more strongly drawn towards specific gaming genres than men, regardless of the men's gaming frequency.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Vermeulen|first=Lotte|last2=Looy|first2=Jan Van|date=2016-04-02|title="I Play So I Am?" A Gender Study into Stereotype Perception and Genre Choice of Digital Game Players|url=https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2016.1164169|journal=Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media|volume=60|issue=2|pages=286–304|doi=10.1080/08838151.2016.1164169|issn=0883-8151}}</ref> === Effects === The concept that [[video games as art|video games are a form of art]] is one that has begun to gain force in the later half of the 2000s with the U.S. [[National Endowment for the Arts]] recognizing games as a form of art in May 2011,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109835-Games-Now-Legally-Considered-an-Art-Form-in-the-USA | title= Games Now Legally Considered an Art Form (in the USA) | first = John | last = Funk | date = 2011-05-06 | accessdate = 2011-05-06 | publisher = [[The Escapist (magazine)|Escapist]] }}</ref> for example. In viewing video games as [[cultural artifact]]s and the industry as a cultural industry, the disenfranchisement of women from the medium is regarded as negatively impacting the female voice in the industry and the woman's capacity to take part in the cultural dialogue that gaming inspires.<ref name=spark>Young, Nora & Misener, Dan. ''[http://www.cbc.ca/spark/full-interviews/2010/11/02/full-interview-jennifer-jenson-on-girls-gaming/ Repeat of Spark 126 – October 16 & 19, 2011: Games and Girls]'' (Podcast available: [http://podcast.cbc.ca/spark/plus-spark_20101102_jenjensonfull.mp3 Full Interview: Jennifer Jenson on Girls & Gaming] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101103014859/http://podcast.cbc.ca/spark/plus-spark_20101102_jenjensonfull.mp3 |date=2010-11-03 }}). ''[[Spark (radio show)|Spark]]''. 7 November 2010.</ref> From an education perspective, certain [[Video game genres|gaming genres]] particularly lacking in female players such as the [[first-person shooter]] game have been shown to increase spatial skills thereby giving advantages to players of the games that are currently skewed along gender lines.<ref name=spark /> Video games have also been determined to provide an easy lead-in to computer literacy for children and correlations have been drawn between male video gaming and the predominance of male workers within the computer industry.<ref name=nzegwu>Nzegwu, Uzoamaka. ''[http://fubini.swarthmore.edu/~WS30/WS30F2000/compvideo.html Gender and Computer/Video games]''. [[Swarthmore College|Swarthmore]]. 15 May 2000.</ref> With the increasing importance of tech jobs in the 21st century and the increased role of online networking, the lack of female video game players suggests a loss of future career opportunities for women.<ref name=spark /> === Responses === The majority of the people who work on game development teams are men.<ref>{{cite web|last=Burrows|first=Leah|title=Women remain outsiders in video game industry|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/01/27/women-remain-outsiders-video-game-industry/275JKqy3rFylT7TxgPmO3K/story.html|work=The Boston Globe|publisher=Globe Correspondent|accessdate=15 April 2014}}</ref> Researchers have identified that one of the best ways to increase the percentage of female players comes from the aspect of authorship (either in-game as with ''[[Neopets]]'' and ''[[Whyville]]'', or indirectly as with the [[List of Harry Potter related topics#Video games based on the books and films|''Harry Potter'' series]]' inclusion of Hermione as a playable character subsequent to fan requests).<ref name=dillon>Dillon, Beth A. ''[http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2694/event_wrapup_girls_n_games_2006.php Event Wrap-Up: Girls 'N Games 2006]''. [[Gamasutra]]. 18 May 2006.</ref> The solution to the problem of societal pigeonholing of female gamers is often identified as interventionist work such as the insertion of women into the industry.<ref name=spark /> Groups like WomenGamers.com and [[Sony]]'s G.I.R.L. have sought to increase female gamer demographics by giving scholarships to girls considering getting into game development,<ref>Caron, Frank. ''[https://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2007/02/7225.ars Girl gamer scholarship hopes to interest females in games industry]''. [[Ars Technica]]. 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2014 G.I.R.L. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM|url=https://www.soe.com/girl/|work=soe|publisher=Sony|accessdate=21 April 2014|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421082811/https://www.soe.com/girl/|archivedate=21 April 2014|df=}}</ref> and game developers like [[Check Six Games]], [[Her Interactive]], [[Silicon Sisters]] and [[Purple Moon]] have openly courted female coders and developers.<ref name=yap>Yap, Tammy. ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20031004195707/http://alumweb.mit.edu/whatmatters/200112.shtml What's So Great About Computer Games?]''. [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]]. 2002.</ref><ref name=nzegwu /> In addressing the future of the medium, many researchers have argued for the improvement of the gaming industry to appeal to a more general gender-neutral audience and others have suggested that the appeal should be directed to females in particular.<ref name=hex /><ref name=hamilton /><ref>{{cite news|author=Rosen, Jill|title=The gender divide: video-gaming has been largely a man's- or boy's- world, but with games by and for women, that's starting to change|work=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|date=September 2008|location=Maryland|page=C1|type=Print}}</ref> One of the earliest attempts to broaden the market to include females could be seen in [[Sega]]'s<ref name=hamilton /> use of the increased number of female protagonists in fighting games.<ref name=nzegwu /> Other examples of this include games like ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', ''[[Remember Me (video game)|Remember Me]]'', and ''[[the Last of Us]]'', which include a female option for the main character.<ref name="Dewitt">{{cite web|last=Dewitt|first=James|title=Lara Croft and the Future of Women in Videogames|url=http://www.thunderboltgames.com/opinion/lara-croft-and-the-future-of-women-in-videogames|publisher=Thunderboltgames.com|accessdate=22 October 2013}}</ref> The decision to use strong female characters in important roles, however, is often met with skepticism by marketers concerned with sales.<ref name="Dring">{{cite web|last=Dring|first=Christopher|title="Women are the future of gaming" - how Tomb Raider and co have put females back on the agenda|url=http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/women-are-the-future-of-gaming/0111714|publisher=Mcvuk.com|accessdate=22 October 2013}}</ref> Examination of IGN's [[Big Games]] at [[E3 2012]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/wikis/e3/Big_Games_at_E3_2012|title=Big Games at E3 2012 - E3 - Electronics Entertainment Expo Wiki Guide - IGN|publisher=}}</ref> and [[Big Games]] at [[E3 2013]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/wikis/e3/Big_Games_at_E3_2013|title=Big Games at E3 2013 - E3 - Electronics Entertainment Expo Wiki Guide - IGN|publisher=}}</ref> shows growth of the female protagonist in video games, rising 4% from 2012 to 2013.<ref>Starr, Kyle. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20140410081307/http://thestarrlist.com/2013/08/01/e3-2013-genregender-breakdown E3 2013: Genre/Gender Breakdown]" (via [[Internet Archive]]). Thestarrlist.com. 1 August 2013.</ref> Other efforts outside of making games with female characters have also started to occur. One example is that Women in Games International has teamed up with the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles in order to create a video game patch which the two organizations hope will encourage Girl Scouts to develop an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.womeningamesinternational.org/work-learn-play.html|title=Girl Scout Patch|publisher=Womeningamesinternational.org|accessdate=22 October 2013|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023060739/http://www.womeningamesinternational.org/work-learn-play.html|archivedate=23 October 2013|df=}}</ref> Activism and specifically female-targeted [[LAN party|LAN parties]] in [[Scandinavia]] have helped boost female game playing.<ref name=dillon /> == See also == {{Portal|Video games|Gender studies}} *[[Geek girl]] *[[Promotional model]] *[[Women in computing]] == Notes == {{notelist}} == References == {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} ==Further reading== *Beck, John C., and Mitchell Wade. "Got Game How the Gamer Generation Is Reshaping Business Forever". New York: Harvard Business School P, 2004. *Bryce, J. and J. Ruttner, "The Gendering of Computer Gaming: Experience and Space", in S. Fleming & I. Jones, Leisure Cultures: Investigations in Sport, Media and Technology, Leisure Studies Association, 2003, pp.&nbsp;3–22. *Cassell, J. and H. Jenkins, ''From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and Computer Games''. Boston: MIT Press, 1998. *Kafai, Yasmin B., Carrie Heeter, Jill Denner, and Jennifer Y. Sun, eds. Beyond Barbie & Mortal Kombat: New Perspectives on Gender and Gaming. Boston: The MIT Press, 2008. *Lucas, K. and Sherry, J.L., 2004. Sex differences in video game play: A communication-based explanation. ''Communication research'', ''31''(5), pp.499-523. [[Category:Gender and video games]] [[Category:Media issues]] [[Category:Women and video games| ]] [[Category:Women and the arts|Video games]]'