Women in online gaming: What has adoption looked like throughout the 2000s?

Leisure

Recent years have seen a growth in the number of women who love to go online and either play games or place bets.

It’s not just about playing or betting, there is also a social side to online gaming that is greatly enjoyed by female players but maintaining their safety is also important.

Online communities helped female gamers

It hasn’t always been easy being a female gamer. In the early part of the 2000s, abuse and online harassment of women gaming was common. Female players fought back against this abuse with online communities being created and strengthened over time.

Forming those online communities was so important. Women were able to discuss openly their fears and experiences as online gamers and show solitude with one another. They were able to realize that they were not alone and the fight against harmful behavior and any stigma around female gamers began.

This has thankfully led to an improvement and playing online is a much safer space now – however, a lot of the internet, like social media sites, remains a hostile and unpredictable place to spend time as a woman.

There are more female characters in games today

Another important change has been in the games that are available to play. While an increasing number of women were playing online, that wasn’t initially being reflected in the games that were on offer. Introducing storylines that aren’t solely aimed at male players has been an important development.

There are now more female lead characters in games. It’s not just Lara Croft, but Agent Jane Blonde is a popular slot game character. Introducing more and not just ones that can be seen as eye-candy for male players makes women feel more at home when playing online games.

With Virtual Reality (VR) set to play an increasingly larger role in iGaming, this is going to be even more vital. A female player putting their VR headset on and entering a virtual world in which they can play a character they can identify with and see as a hero is going to encourage even more to play.

Online casinos are attracting female gamers

If not looking to play video games, there is the option for women to be heading to online casinos. They are becoming so much more popular and again, it’s not just men who are their customers.

When playing at an online casino, it’s the slots at PowerPlay and other similar sites that is the section many players navigate straight to. Again, we are seeing more slots being released year over year that are very attractive to female players and male alike. 

Playing bingo and the lottery has always been popular with female players. Trying to win a huge lottery jackpot is the dream that many women possess. Whether it be a major lottery such as Lotto or EuroMillions, the number of women hoping their selections will win a huge cash prize continues to rise. If you can’t wait for the next lottery draw to take place, then there are countless scratchcards that you can try your luck on. These can produce instant success and many a female player enjoys playing them and dreaming the next one purchased is the scratchcard that will produce a big win.

Bingo has long been popular with female players. It’s not all about going to the local bingo club anymore. There are a growing number of online casinos that include a bingo section on their site. Then there are the ones that are totally dedicated to bingo with some great cash prizes available to be won at all times of the day.

Chat rooms are a big draw

An important part of playing online is the chat room. The bingo games may come thick and fast but players still find time to enjoy a good chat with moderators and other site members. New friends can be made and that can change the experience you have at an online gambling site.

It’s not just about hopefully getting some good wins. Chatting to your friends and celebrating their wins (while trying not to be too jealous) is all part of an enjoyable experience.

The number of female gamers is growing

Statistics released in June of last year illustrated just how many women form part of the online gaming industry. Around 47% of players were female and that equates to just less than 2 million. Four years beforehand, the percentage of female players was only 41%.  Back in 2007, the USA recorded figures that showed the number of female online gamers was just 38%.

Diversity in the games that are available to play is becoming increasingly important for players. A Global Gamer Study carried out last year showed that 62% of women consider diversity to be an important factor.

Where do women play their online games? The same study revealed that 44% of female players only play games on mobile platforms. That’s a figure that is 17% higher than the number of males who also exclusively play on their mobiles.

Which games are the most popular with female gamers? Family/Farm Sims and Match 3 Games are the ones that most women decide to play. Sports games are not popular with that survey finding that only 18% of female players chose to play them. This might change in the future with more female representation in sports games taking place. For example, ‘Football Manager 2025’ will include players from the women’s game.

It can be seen therefore that online gaming is seeing a higher number of women playing their games. The online gaming world has become safer and more welcoming to female players and companies are realizing that adding more female characters is the way forward, to more fully and accurately represent the makeup of our world.