“Wait... You’re a girl?!” The rise of the “girl gamer”. Gaming has always been seen as the old boys club, (and by this, I mean a teenage boy playing World of Warcraft in his bedroom), but that image is starting to change. As female gamers, weve all been subjected to the, “but you’re a girl...” debate in which some of our male counterparts question our passion and enjoyment of the gaming world, solely on the basis of gender. The truth is however, that some women do in fact like to play video games (there, I said it!). Does this mean the gaming industry is about to go down in flames? Absolutely not. According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) 48% of gamers are female, so to say a “girl gamer” is a rarity would be a misguided statement. Women are currently actively encouraged to get involved in science, technology and engineering based careers (STEM), so could this be fueling the rise? Or could this rise lie with the changing face of gaming? Gone are the days of gaming elitism, and in are the days of mobile, social and overall more accessible games. What defines a “gamer” is subjective... are the candy crush obsessed classed as gamers? That is up for debate. However, we live in a world where most households will have at least one computer, and/or a games console and gaming has just managed to integrate itself into our everyday lives. Due to technological advancements, games are now moving onto mobile and tablet platforms, allowing more people to “game on the go. A good example would be Blizzard’s recent Hearthstone app for iPad. However, has a more open and accessible industry paved the way for the rise in female gamers? Both of the above points are valid arguments for this change, or perhaps the gaming landscape has always been this way and its only recently become more reported and documented. Although, by the looks of things, the mystical “girl gamer” is here to stay... (Girls do exist on the internet after all!). Written by Alice Belfield.
Posted on: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 00:17:06 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015