Greetings, friends, and welcome to Mobile Game Monday, where we chat about games you can play on the go. If you like gaming on a phone or tablet, this is the place for you. Join us every week as we go on all sorts of adventures.
Let’s finish Women’s History Month off strong by looking to the future – of mobile gaming, that is. According to G&M news, recent studies show that women are the majority of mobile game players. However, studies also show that women are still a very small percentage of creators and executives. Let’s break down what this means for the future of females in video game culture.
Power Players in Mobile Gaming
In 2023, game developer GameHouse commissioned Pollfish to conduct a survey of over 800 U.S. and UK consumers between the ages of 18-65 years. Participants were surveyed about their interests and how they spend their free time. GameHouse CEO Simonetta Lulli Gomez says that the game developer aims to use this data to continue to design their games around female gaming preferences.
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Results show that 74 percent of women play a mobile game at least once a day and 67 percent of those surveyed say that mobile gaming is a vital part of their downtime. Additionally, 73 percent of 35-44 year old women play mobile games during their me time. The study also revealed that women prefer mobile game genres like puzzle, word, and collapse games. This suggests that women value the problem-solving and strategic facets of gaming.
Mobile devices are currently the most popular gaming platform for women with 42 percent playing on Android and 54 percent on iPhone. Furthermore, in 2023, female gamers represented 48 percent of the global mobile gaming market.
Games Created by Women
Although women make up a small percentage of video game developers, that doesn’t mean they do not exist. There are plenty of women making quality games, you just have to do a little digging. After all, the most valuable gems are the most difficult to find. So here are just a few shining examples of what women are capable of as video game creators.
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Burly Men at Sea (2016) was created by illustrator Brook Condolora from Brain&Brain. The minimalist misadventure is a stylized mix between a visual novel and point and click game. Navigate three bearded, burly men through treacherous waters filled with dangerous creatures inspired by Scandinavian folklore. They even have cute merchandise on the Burly Men at Sea website.
Burly Men at Sea is $2.99 in the Play Store and $4.99 in the App Store.
80 Days (2014) is an interactive fiction game co-written by Meg Jayanth (Sunless Sea) for Inkle. This award-winning adventure is based on Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. Play as Phileas Fogg who has just made a wager that he can circumnavigate the globe in 80 days. Manage your finances, health, time, and more to ensure you make it around the world alive and on time.
80 Days is $5.99 in the Play Store (free with Play Pass) and $4.99 in the App Store.
Tengami (2014) is an award-winning adventure game created by Jennifer Schneidereit alongside the talented team at Nyamyam. This atmospheric journey takes place inside a Japanese pop-up book. Move, slide, and manipulate the pages to solve the mystery of the dying cherry tree. Tengami features an original soundtrack by David Wise, best known for his absolute bangers in Donkey Kong Country.
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Tengami is free in the Play Store and the App Store.
Opportunity Awaits
Thanks to organizations like Black Girls Code, Women in Games, and Girls Make Games, there are more opportunities than ever for young women interested in gaming-related careers. Nothing makes me more hopeful for the future than the plethora of organizations whose sole priority is supporting girls and women in mobile gaming. Here are just a few of the groups doing important and long-lasting work to build a supportive foundation for us all.
Black Girls Code
Since 2011, Black Girls Code has supported girls of color in tech by offering coding education, camps, and so much more. If you know someone who would benefit from their programs or if you would like to donate, check out the Black Girls Code site.
Women in Games
Women in Games is a non-profit organization founded in 2009 that champions equal representation for women in gaming culture. Although women make up half of the gamer population, a recent study shows that only 16 percent of these women are represented in executive teams. Additionally, only five percent of female gamers work or compete in esports.
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WIN also focuses on creating a safe and supportive environment for women to discuss how they can improve gaming culture for women. To find out more or donate to their cause, check out the Women in Games site.
Girls Make Games
Girls Make Games was founded in 2014 and offers camps, workshops, and more to young girls interested in creating video games. They aim to inspire the next generation of designers, creators, and engineers. So far, Girls Make Games has reached over 23,000 young women through their various programs. To learn more and lend your support, explore the Girls Make Games site.
Looking Forward to a Female-Friendly Future
Sadly, as a young gamer, it never even crossed my mind to pursue a gaming-related career because it seemed like an unattainable dream. I was harassed by boys in high school for simply applying at the local GameStop. Apparently, the idea of a girl working at a video game shop was absurd.
Ultimately, I got the job and worked there (very successfully) for a year until I found a better job. So, I can’t help but wonder if things would be different had I stumbled across one of the mentorship programs. More importantly, I am hopeful that the gaming community my daughter grows up in is less toxic and more inclusive.
Our Adventures Are Just Beginning
This is just the beginning of the female persuasion in gaming. Women now make up half of the gamer population and with more women in creator and development roles, the future of gaming looks female. We still have a long way to go, but there is a massive support system that wants to see women succeed in the video game realm.
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In a study conducted in 2023 by newzoo, around the same percentage of women and men found diversity in gaming important. So let’s all work together to make women finally feel at home in a place where they have always been.
Take it easy and play it safe, gamers.
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