Women have been dismantling stereotypes and rewriting the history of female gamers in recent years. They have actively pursued their love of gaming and made a name for themselves in the industry while combating the prejudices and stereotypes they have encountered.
Barriers To Women In The Gaming Industry
It has long been believed that men predominate in the gaming industry. Gender-based prejudice and stereotypes have frequently hampered the advancement of female gamers passionate about the gaming industry. In addition to being prominent gamers, women also make their presence felt in the industry by founding their startups, which are not just limited to Esports players or streamers. Richa Singh, the co-founder, and CEO of FanClash, Asia’s biggest fantasy Esports platform, has disproved the widespread stereotypes and shown that women can be leaders in the gaming industry and one of its major players.
Dentsu’s “Gaming India Report 2022 – For The Game” states that 46% of Indian gamers are female. Perhaps the most critical step toward closing the gender gap is having women in leadership positions in our organizations who can serve as role models for younger women. Organization’s should make a conscious effort to hire women with extensive work experience for critical leadership roles in a variety of departments, including finance, communications, legal, human resources, and business development.
A pervasive “toxic” culture of hostility, violence, sexual harassment, and threats of rape or death against women has long been reported in online gaming. Among esports competitors, there is also much evidence of hostility and discrimination against women. Women do not feel fairly represented in video games, even though they make up almost half of all gamers worldwide. Women are frequently portrayed in erotic ways in fiction. How video game characters are shown may negatively impact people’s perceptions of themselves and how others view them. According to research12, video game stereotyping can cause eating disorders, self-objectification, and body dissatisfaction in female players.
How to remove such barriers?
- As an ongoing process, inclusivity necessitates reflection on one’s actions and policy reinforcement on the way to a diverse workforce. Because of workplace homogeneity in the past, applicants who did not fit preconceived notions may have been subject to unintentional discrimination. Understanding the importance of awareness and education in eradicating these biases has grown through open conversations with startup founders and leaders.
- Avoid toys and games with packaging in pink featuring unicorns, rainbows, and hearts for girls versus blue featuring robots, spaceships, and toolboxes for boys. Ensure all children are represented equally and broadly in the toys and games you give them.
- Use sites which are focusing on equality. Numerous platforms are attempting to make environments for women that are safer and more welcoming. To combat hate speech and inappropriate sexual behavior on its platform, Twitch, a well-known live-streaming service for video games, expanded its definition of sexual harassment and unveiled new policies.
