In the fictional world of gaming, where things are changing every day, stereotyping that the only people who play online gaming are adolescent boys in their dark rooms, glued to their PCs would be improper. Although this image has persisted over decades, things have been taking a sharp turn in recent times.

The number of female gamers is rising, and numerous studies are trying to find if female gamers have specific motivations and gameplay behaviors. There have been some country-based studies that reveal gaming motivations to differ cross-culturally across genders.

While many women have been interested in online games, it wasn’t until smartphones got into the picture that the concept of gaming became more mainstream. Part of the attraction of these casual online games is their broader attraction to diverse demographics. With tons of games available on app stores, customers have a wide variety of genres to select games that match their interests.

As more Indian women take to playing casual games on their smartphones, the recognition of hyper-casual games in fashion, aesthetics, and hairstyle have increased as well. These games that are frequently played and won, have taken India by storm! According to statistics from app analytics company Sensor Tower India is in fact, some of the key international markets for fashion games in conjunction with the United States and Brazil.

According to a study conducted by InMobi, 43% of the mobile gaming audience in India were women and across diverse age groups. From gamers to online streamers, from game developers to entrepreneurs, women are increasingly taking on different roles in the gaming industry.

According to ‘Think With Google APAC – Play like a Girl Report, 2020’, nearly 18% of all gamers in India are women. Furthermore, the number of women is increasing at a higher rate than male gamers, especially during the pandemic. The report also highlighted the fact that 95% of Indian women who own smartphones use them to play mobile games, then 86% of male users. Moreover, 78% of women played games for about two hours on their smartphones. It is clear that more and more Indian women, especially the younger generation, are leaning towards becoming avid gamers shortly.

Future of Women in Gaming
According to a report titled ‘The Power of Mobile Gaming in India’, India has over 250 million mobile gamers and this number is expected to reach 368 million by the year 2022. The gaming industry is growing at an exponential rate, and women form a huge part of this industry.

As per InMobi’s mobile gaming India report 2021, almost 40 to 45% of the global gaming population are women within the Asian gaming population. Among them, 12% are of the age group 25-44 and 28% are over 45 years. This concludes that women will shape the growth of the online gaming industry in the coming years.

Not only is the presence of women in the gaming industry increasing with time, but the popularity of female gamers is on the rise as well, especially on social media platforms. Gamers like Sunita Thapa Magar have 3.95 million subscribers on Youtube, other popular gamers include Vidushi Suryavanshi (Mogambo), Mudra Roy (the wallflower), Manasvi Dalvi, Shagufta Iqbal (Xyaa) among others.

Today, entering into the world of gaming has become easier. The industry is more welcoming and accommodating for people from various backgrounds. This is the reason for the growth of female gamers over the years. A considerable portion of these are casual gamers and the rise of mobile gaming played a big part in pushing this trend.

Women game developers in South East Asia continue to enhance existing games and create new formats with graphics that offer fascinating experiences to female gamers. According to a recent study by Google and Niko Partners, female gamers in South East Asia are particularly drawn to MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games), FPS (First Person Shooter) games, and MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) games.

Online Gaming as a Career
A few years ago, a career in online gaming was unimaginable for anyone; online gaming was considered more of a hobby or a medium to relax. But today the market offers a wide variety of job opportunities that offer a bright future for women from all walks of life.

Women today are being appreciated for their professionalism, experience, and love for gaming in the industry. Conditions all around the world have started to change in the global gaming market, as many companies are complying with a more diverse workforce. Because of which even the Indian IT/ITES industry, including gaming, cannot stay too far behind.

Today we’re looking at a new age for female gamers. The time isn’t far until we start noticing more women-themed games with specific designs, graphics, and characters.

Women engaging in online gaming are bound to increase exponentially in the coming years with the accessibility and affordability of gaming technology. More women gamers, content creators, and hosts have found encouragement to be a part of the online gaming industry as it is evolving into a more inclusive and gender-sensitive one. This is an ideal time for women gamers and developers to excel in and mold this ever-emerging industry.