Low % of females in online games etc

[apepi]

You don't. If they wanted to do it, they would. We should and never root for a 50/50 split. It will most likely never happen and hurt others in the process. Genders are different, but we should not disdain this but embrace it. We are different, but does does not mean that is bad. One gender likes certain things more than others. What we should be is more inviting to other genders who want to join in activities which their gender does not typically do, accept them.

[Rhine101]

Why do we need more females in games? If they like the games they will play. A lot of girls game, just may not be the same game guys are into. That is okay.

I heard second life is popular with women.

[Nnyco]

I am pretty sure WoW has alot of female gamers, I think the last time i heard somethin about this it was like 40/60

[Simulacrum]

I'm not sure what online game you're referring to?

Most MMO's are actually almost at parity - and there are genres of games which are slightly female dominanted now.

Check this out.

Notably, 2014 was the year game purchases hit 50/50 male/female for the first time. Only 52% of self-identified gamers are male now, 48% are female.

This is a really weird survey lacking in a lot of nuance (for example, using the blanket term "gamer" seemingly to describe anyone who has ever held a game, not detailing why someone bought a game - if it's for themselves or someone else - etc.)

Also, interestingly, your cited statistic seems to have changed in their most recent publication: http://www.theesa.com/wp-content/upl...Facts-2015.pdf

Specifically, males are now apparently 56% of self-identified gamers, and 59% of purchasers.

This is a pretty significant deviation, don't you think? For just one year? Maybe them increasing their number of (american) households surveyed from 2,200 to 4,000 had something to do with that.

They also added a little information about another set of questions that they've now apparently started asking about time spent gaming, where they found that "the most frequent gamers who play with others spend and average of" "6.5 hours per week playing with others online" and / or (doesn't say) "5 hours per week playing with others in-person"... which means that my dad is apparently among the most hardcore of gamer crowds. No doubt him and his squad of middle-aged dads with adult kids trolling around in world of tanks will be trying out for MLG any day now.

Anyway... stats like that aren't very useful for answering questions like the OP's. While it might be technically true that MMOs almost have gender parity in number of players, they definitely don't have gender parity in the things that the different genders actually do in-game, or in how much time the different genders dedicate to playing the games on average. So it's easy to see how a male playing a lot on a elite level within the game could come to think that almost no women play the game. They do, they just don't play it the same way he does, so he never encounters them.

[Yvaelle]

Anyway... stats like that aren't very useful for answering questions like the OP's. While it might be technically true that MMOs almost have gender parity in number of players, they definitely don't have gender parity in the things that the different genders actually do in-game, or in how much time the different genders dedicate to playing the games on average. So it's easy to see how a male playing a lot on a elite level within the game could come to think that almost no women play the game. They do, they just don't play it the same way he does, so he never encounters them.

All true, and I'm not disputing that women and men play different games, and play the games they overlap on in different ways - I touched on that when I pointed to the different genres that are popular with women (The Sims, certain mmos, vs call of duty, etc). There are no professional women in League of Legends, despite that LoL has relatively high female participation overall.

What I was hoping to clarify was the conclusion being drawn, from his anecdotal evidence, that women broadly don't play video games - or don't play the ones he plays. More likely is that either he doesn't notice them because of how he plays that game, or because he is actively filtering out women from his experience.

Generally, amongst WoW raiding guilds - while I agree women are probably only 5-20% of the mythic raiding population - they aren't evenly distributed. Some guilds are going to be all dudes, probably because they're either dismissive or hostile to any women they encounter in game: they haven't played with any women who are good, so they assume all women are bad, and then any woman who is good has no desire to hang out with a guild full of people who can't value her contribution.

Instead, women in MMO raiding tend to be clustered into guilds with other women - at one point in my server first WotLK guild we realized there were more women in our 25m group that week than men: we were at the height of the anomalous data. In my current guild, the healing officer, one of the main tanks, two of the ranged DPS are female: 4/20, 20%. So for every guild that has zero, and has never had even a single capable female raider - there are other guilds out there with a handful, or as in the case of my WotLK guild, even occasionally a majority.

TL;DR - Anecdotal evidence is not representative (both the OP's and mine), but while the ESA survey is frustratingly imprecise at times, at least it's a truly representative sample of the market.

[Bushtuckrman]

Why do you want to force females to do something that the majority does not wish to do?

[Yvaelle]

Why do you want to force females to do something that the majority does not wish to do?

Nobody does. Do you assume that women who play games are being forced?

[Matchles]

There are plenty of females playing games. If you aren't hearing them, it is because they aren't telling you. Respect that and know that many of them are looking for a place to play games and not be harassed about their gender.

[Teebone]

People talking like there is a need for more female players puzzles me. Maybe its a style/lifestyle choice and not because of some greasy nerd in a basement? Also: this because it makes me laugh:

[Bushtuckrman]

Nobody does. Do you assume that women who play games are being forced?

What a silly question

My reply was to OPS last lines

What can I do to bring females into my hobby? Is it something I can do to NOT stop them from entering?

How can I help females to adopt into my world

I guess you got hung up on me using the word 'force'

Well, if I tried to coerce my wife into playing games she would feel somewhat forced or pressured, safe to assume so would others with low interest in playing games. I don't care if women play games or not, its their choice.

[Yvaelle]

What a silly question

My reply was to OPS last lines

Ya my bad I thought your 'you' was directed at me

I'm en garde for the inevitable strawman to my post claiming I'm demanding gender parity in all games or something goofy (because I can feel it, it's coming)

[Bushtuckrman]

Ya my bad I thought your 'you' was directed at me

I'm en garde for the inevitable strawman to my post claiming I'm demanding gender parity in all games or something goofy (because I can feel it, it's coming)

I knew I should have quoted from the OP on my first post!

[tehealadin]

So you should feel guilty, you oppressor! I recommend a gun. Threaten to kill their parents, or kids if they have any, if they don't play. Remember, playing video games is not something women/gays/blacks/asians/trans/otherkin/furries should be allowed to take or leave- it is a duty. They must submit. Else you, and everyone else with a white heterosexual cis gendered penis is a monster. Time for dem quotas.

[Zantos]

How can I help females to adopt into my world, that is - when I actually look at the member page - almost completely dominated by males.

This has to be what they asked me about and wanted to make me realize... What can i dew?

Or why isn't the number equal? Is there some difference in females and males? Aren't we all humans?

Nothing. You can do absolutely nothing to get them into your hobbies. Sure, you can show some female friends the stuff you like, but ultimately, its their choice. Why should you have to worry about weather or not there are females around who enjoy the same hobbies as you?

The number isn't equal for simple reasons. 1) those who enjoy anime beyond teenage years are not look upon favorably for admitting so. Therefor, right away that is part of the fans who just hide it. 2) What a female and a male enjoy are just different. Females like sappy things, males like action. Most anime is lots of action and fighting. There are sappy ones, but usually it has action of some sort. Females just don't like that usually.

Point is, ignore them. They act as if you can have some sort of impact on what females like. You should not feel guilty just because females don't like the same things as you. Anime as a whole has some hurdles it still yet has to get over that impacts how those who enjoy it are viewed and ultimately, turns away some so they wont even give it a chance because of the stigmas surrounding it.

These can also be applied to gaming as well.

[THE Bigzoman]

My older sister and I have quite a rivarly in terms of video games.

Our first competitive game was Tekken 2. I recall thinking I was big shit beating people with Kazuya--even going as far as beating my dad when he pulled our JACK. But then, my older sister revealed that she had dabbeled in Tekken before. One day, she grabbed Michelle and occasionally Jun, and beat everyone non stop. We had a winner stay on rotation, and she would go on and on for hours.

I eventually learned, and we've had a rivarly in Tekken games since.

I also recall one time when me and my old friend were playing the Spider Man 2 video game and couldn't beat Doc Oc. My older sister walked in and revealed that not only had she played the game, but passed 100%. We didn't beleive her at first, but she grabbed the stick and one shot Doc Oc in front of us.

Years passed on, and we would pay RBGs togethter. She figured out how to get Rydia's Bahumet in FF4 before I did, that made the end of the game a lot more mangeable.


Women in vidya games are a thing, and if you don't see them often enough, seek them. Not too hard. If there aren't any, you shouldn't feel bad, especially in MMOs. I can't imagine why something so superficial would determine enjoyment for something like that. MMOs are ultimately social experiences at your leisure--you are the sole decider of who you play with and what you play. As long as women are making that choice freely, who cares?