Gaming has evolved through the ages, involving a larger number of female gamers as time passed on. But, the gaming industry still involved more males than females. Now why is that?
The number of women involved in gaming is rising, but at a snail’s pace.
In the early 90’s, avid gamers that indulged in gaming were mostly comprised of men. Video game advertisements, such as those corny Sega Nintendon’t advertisements targeted the male demographic . Honestly speaking, it was a stupid move on Sega’s part. Marketing to both genders through marketing campaigns would have proven to be profitable and politically correct, getting rid of the future’s gender stereotypes and barriers.
Today, those “mistakes” have rippled through the generations, affecting the growing number of female gamers. Popular franchises like Call of Duty by Activision attracts a prominent male audience, with women being a minority. The female gamers are hit with a wave of sexist remarks, where online male gamers hurl verbal abuse and vulgarities at the female audience. Such chauvinistic acts of stupidity are commonplace today, thanks to the lack of female integration into the gaming industry.
Granted, many female gamers are starting to embrace video games, especially in the YouTube community where many women are stepping up, with popular YouTubers like Raychul Moore. But integrity is at line as women start to gain dominance in the game industry. For example, Jessica Chobot is a popular games journalist who has a passion “for video games”. And yet the only “constructive criticism” she receives are all sexual innuendos, asking her to show her “tits”. And she does, by wearing provocative singlets or tank tops.
These female gamers are taking advantage of the “gender” stereotypes, pleasing the male audience to gain popularity for all the wrong reasons.
To make matters worse, many game developers are designing sexy, disproportionate character models to appease the male audience, popularising the objectification of women. From Mortal Kombat to Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, women are portrayed as inanimate objects, sexualizing women and further dividing both genders.
Thankfully, game developers like Square Enix are trying to empower women through their new reboot, Tomb Raider, on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. 343 Industries’ Bonnie Ross lashed out at the male sexists in gaming, hoping to create a gaming environment where both women and men can intermingle harmoniously through video gaming.
Everyone should play a part to welcome women into the gaming industry. The gaming world would be a perfect one if we can all work together. In the end, it all depends on us male gamers. The question is, “Can we be the better men and treat female gamers with respect?” I sure hope so.
