We’ve all heard the stereotypes around women playing video games.

“Girls don’t/shouldn’t play video games.”

“Oh, she’s a girl gamer.”

“There’s no way a girl can be that good.”

But times are changing.

Women in Gaming 2020

Women gamers are on the rise both in the United States and around the world. In fact, female gamers make up half of the gaming population.

And women aren’t just playing the games—they are also getting involved in development through women-owned and -operated companies and women-only teams and organizations.

While we know that games have generally been developed by men and for men, executives are starting to change how they develop their games due to the larger and more diverse audiences they are attracting.

The Changing Game

Years ago, following the “Gamergate” scandal, women were intimidated to work in the gaming industry and less likely to major in gaming or more likely to drop out.

But things have already started to change.

However, gaming companies will need to continue growing their audiences and adapting their games in order to keep women interested.

For this to happen, developers need to establish new games that focus on why and how women like to play video games. For example, 47 percent of female gamers would much rather play with their friends than play alone. A NewZoo study reported that 65 percent of women between the ages of 10 and 65 play mobile games. Beyond that, 64 percent of women prefer games on their phone over other gaming platforms, in comparison to just 38 percent of men.

Additionally, gaming companies need to put women in C-level roles to continue welcoming women into the gaming world on a company level and a player level.

Women on the Rise

More women have started to study and complete their education in gaming majors in comparison to men, and now more than ever, things are adjusting in the corporate world, with women paving the way for other women within gaming.

The rise of women in leadership roles at gaming companies has also led to women gaining high-level development roles—not just c-level positions.

Other major changes are happening within the gaming world thanks to corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Venture capitalist companies have come out stating they will only invest in games where at least one women is a co-founder. Intel, one of the leading technology companies in the world, has invested over $300 million toward fostering gender diversity within the gaming industry. Additionally, they are working directly with gaming companies and are looking to double the number of women developers in the coming years.

This is just the beginning of the major changes happening in the gaming world. If you’d like to learn more about how TransPerfect Gaming Solutions can help bring you and your game to the next level, email us at gaming@transperfect.com.