Boys are from Mars and girls are from Venus so it’s only natural that they’d be drawn to two different styles of games. For the first time, female mobile game players have taken the lead and now are in the majority on mobile gaming platforms.
Males make up 64% of the PC gaming population and women make up 55% of all mobile gamers, suggesting that there is a preference in place. This is for a vast multitude of reasons but the biggest one is that females are represented more in mobile media. Even mobile gaming directories offer slots games with themes for both women and men, whether they are typical pursuits or not. Female gamers aren’t restricted to playing girly slots and they’re also not ridiculed for playing more masculine ones.
When playing as a female, it can be daunting to join the legions of MMORPG players on PC. Women reported that when they used a voice chat software to communicate with their team, they received unwanted attention or gendered slurs. Being more in control in the mobile gaming environment tips the scales in women’s favour, as they make up the majority. Mobile games are also usually targeted at a younger audience, so all communications between players are more strictly policed. This can give females reprieve if they choose to play as their gender.
Men are more likely to have played games in their earlier years than women, so also feel more at ease with it. For this reason, mobile gaming can act as a gateway for women that may otherwise be daunted by the selection or hardware. We’re sure that everyone can remember researching and building their first PC and just how involved a process it was. Hardware and overclocking might seem like day to day terms but for novices to gaming these can be foreign concepts. Whereas whipping out your smartphone is much easier to start out gaming with. In a similar capacity, the cost of a PC can be extortionate, especially if you’re buying premade, so using an existing mobile device can be more wallet friendly to new gamers.
The idea of core and casual gamers has existed for a long time but the way that companies appeal to these audiences are changing. Initially mobile gamers were thought of as casual gamers but with the increase in indie titles in the mobile market these games can be just as in depth. Ports of well-known games or further instalments on mobile devices are also becoming more popular, giving this market more to play. Games like Harvest Moon Seeds of Memories and those in the Alien series are for both core and casual gamers, to offer a console like experience.
Whatever the reason is for the female domination of the mobile industry, it’s a good thing for all players. Game creators are now challenged to think from a new perspective and give more equality options to players. This could lead to some truly exciting games that could lead to a new generation of gamers.
