The game industry has been accustomed to building games for mainly a male audience for years. Looking at some of the most recognizable properties on consoles and personal computers (Halo, God of War, Call of Duty, Final Fantasy, Injustice, Street Fighter, Kingdom Hearts, Dance Dance Revolution, Madden Football, etc.), there is evidence this is still mostly true. In the industry’s eyes, gamers are male. The gamer gets what the gamer wants and that will make the gamer happy.

However, despite many of the top properties being games that are viewed as going after a male audience, this does not mean that a female user base is mostly absent. More than likely based on the size of the video game industry, counting mobile, console, and personal computers, it is actually quite understated and there really is a significant female presence. Some reports actually place this number as high as 50% (Entertainment Software Association, 2013).

Arguing this survey and the impartiality of the association that produced it is not as important as what the survey makes very clear. The real point is that there is a large female user base that is willing to spend money to play games and consume content. Secondly, is the industry producing finished works that take full advantage of the opportunities that exist with this consumer group? Are women playing certain games (ones that were targeted at men) because they want to or because they have no choice?

Entertainment Software Association. (2013). Essential Facts About The Computer and Video Game Industry. Retrieved August 11th, 2013, from thessa.com: http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2013.pdf