What Games Are Women and Girl Gamers Playing
While Covid-19 is still running rampant, more people are turning to video games as way to stay connected with friends.
And for many of the more than 3 billion gamers worldwide, gaming was already a way of life before Covid-19 reared its ugly head. The pandemic is gaining traction among non-gamers, not just to enjoy games, but as a way to capitalize on what looks to be a growing trend. Sometimes, unfortunately, non-gamers will entertain harmful stereotypes about women who play video games in an effort to create viral content.
Here’s the thing: women make up 45% of gamers in the U.S. and there is no right or wrong way to be a gamer. If you enjoy playing video games, whether on console, PC or mobile, then you’re a gamer. And even though some women and girl gamers, just as some men and boys, prefer video games without violence, many women and girl gamers love shooters. I mean, have you ever felt the relaxing satisfaction of killing zombies or scorched after a stressful day at work? Still, overcoming the many stereotypes of what video games girls and women play sometimes seem an uphill battle. That’s why the gaming community is lucky to have thought leaders like gamer and founder of Black Girl Gamers, Jay-Ann Lopez and gaming community representatives like Shauna Jones.
From comments and girl gamer memes about how girls who play video games should dress and behave to trying to put us in a “girls should play this game because it’s for girls” box, we are just so over the nonsense. While there are some games for girls, they tend to be for little girls, not adults. And girls play a variety of games, not just girl games. Women and girls who play video games are not a monolith. Still, people want to know just what type of games we play. The short answer is—we play them all.
In June, the question“ What games are you playing now?” was posed in a private, video gaming community group for women gamers on Facebook. The question received 100 responses.
Here are the top video games that girl gamers were playing when asked “What games are you playing now?”
The Sims 4 (11 respondents)
Call of Duty: Warzone (7 respondents)
Overwatch (5 respondents)
Animal Crossing, Minecraft, Dead by Daylight, Apex Legends (4 respondents each)
Red Dead Redemption 2, World of Warcraft, Gears of War 5, Fortnite, Fallout 4, Borderlands 3 (3 respondents each)
Other games on the list included, but was not limited to The Division 2, Ark, Assassin’s Creed Unity, Fallout 76 (a little sad I was the only one who answered Fallout 76), Mortal Kombat 11, and Final Fantasy XIV. I was honestly surprised that Tekken 7 or one of the many Mario games weren’t listed.
Like our male counterparts, girl gamers play whatever they want. We’re not beholden to what would or could be considered “games for girl gamers.” And don’t let anyone tell you differently. From story-driven games to games that allow you to create your own stories, like The Sims, our tastes are many and varied.
