By: Rudy Sanchez
According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a video game trade group, 41% of women play video games, in fact, women over 18 now comprise a bigger segment than boys under 18. In spite of the number of women that play video games, the industry still creates products and markets them heavily towards a male audience. Games, peripherals, and accessories are designed, presented and packaged to appeal more towards men than women.
Most gaming devices, from game consoles to PC cases and peripherals, are designed with sharp edges, usually festooned with aggressive color schemes such as black/red. Occasionally there will be an option for colors that appeal to “Girl Gamers,” but they are usually just a pink or purple version of the same aggressive angular design, or in the case of handheld consoles, it’s usually just a recoloring of the same console (such as a lilac PSP or pink DS).
Other accessories and peripherals aren’t designed for women at all. For example, a common complaint is finding items such as gamepads, headsets and gaming seats that are uncomfortable for individuals with smaller hands, heads, and frames.
The industry was not always this way. In the early days of video gaming, game designers and manufacturers were not focused on marketing towards men. Most games were gender neutral, titles such as Pac-Man and Pong appealed to and were played by a broader audience.
Early games and consoles were targeted towards families. It was not until the “Video Game Crash of 1983” that the video game industry started segmenting the market by focusing on the one they believed to be the largest—boys. The crash was caused by an over saturation of the market, and the industry was looking to avoid the same mistake while zooming in on their largest customer base.
When video game companies did attempt to market to females, the games made for girls followed the template other toys did, by using pink and pastel colors, reinforcing stereotypical female gender roles (cooking games, fashion, doll playing games, etc). When female characters do appear in “boy games,” it’s usually a stereotype, or the character is a prize or quest (saving the helpless princess was a common theme for both of the Nintendo NES console’s heavy hitters Super Mario Bros and Legend of Zelda). In a short time, video games went from being a family affair to something for boys, and it was reflected in video game box art as well as the marketing.
With the recent attention paid to the issues surrounding sexism and misogyny in the gaming world, companies from developers, peripheral makers, and even trade shows are taking notice and trying to make strides towards a more balanced gender representation.
With their hit game Overwatch, Blizzard has not only diversified their characters, with the inclusion of strong female characters, they’ve also used these characters (such as Tracer) as part of its box art, whereas in the past female characters were only featured on a game’s box art to titillate male consumers, Tracer is portrayed in a non-sexualized matter. She appears wearing a functional and non-sexualized kit in an action pose, nor does she appear in an objectified manner.
When Razer launched the “Quartz” edition line of products, there’s no mention of it being “for girls” in both the marketing and packaging. By creating an alternative that has proven popular without patronizing women and making it “for girls,” Razer has won over women gamers, despite eschewing gender-neutral tones.
At Penny Arcade’s PAX game convention, there’s a no “booth babe” policy in an effort to create a more inclusive environment and have the focus on the games exhibited. While other conventions continue to use booth babes, they have enacted more modest dress policies.
But even with these small gestures, the gaming industry still has a lot of growing up to do, and fast. By 2022, revenues are expected to surpass $230 billion dollars—leaders across the board will have to make greater strides when it comes to inclusion.
While the gaming world is taking baby steps to un-bro itself, women still face strong headwinds at all levels of the industry. As the business tries to rid itself of misogyny, the momentum started in the 80s may reverse and video games, consoles, and accessories will be designed, marketed and packaged for all kinds of gamers, not just teenage boys.
Rudy Sanchez is a product marketing consultant based in Southern California. Once described by a friend as her “technology life coach,” he is a techie and avid lifelong gamer. When he’s not writing or helping clients improve their products, he’s either watching comedies on Netflix, playing the latest shooter or battle royale game or out exploring the world via Ingress and Pokémon Go.
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