How many gamers are actually female? - No, mobile games do not make you a gamer (unless your using an emulator such as Drastic).

[[Insert Meme Here]]

I think there's many factors. Generally, I don't mention the fact I'm a girl when playing videogames because it doesn't matter to the game, but since I started playing Overwatch (which basically requires you to use mic sometimes to climb), my voice makes it fairly obvious since I have generic girl voice #3. But since there's seems to be more women who are doing that, I rarely, if ever, have issues beyond a few jokes at my expense at the beginning.

I think girls are less likely to spend money on games because they have other things that they "should" buy; makeup and such gets expensive, apparently, and since many women value their appearance over hobbies, they'll spend their money that way. (NOTE: expensive makeup is not required to look good unless you're ugly af, but many women go overboard) This leads to less money for videogame buying/playing, especially when the big 'multiplayer' games--which are the games you'd have to play for the other part of the playerbase to notice you--are ~$60, there's not a lot of incentive to buy them practically. I blow all my money on comic books, so I have been pretty picky about the games I've been buying for a few years now, and I buy far fewer than my brother. I want more, but I don't have the $$$. I also think women tend towards different types of games than men. Men are more likely to buy war games that support playing with people, women are more likely to buy singleplayer adventure games, in my experience. Seriously, every female gamer I know has Kentucky Route Zero and loves it.

That, and my biggest detractors from playing videogames has always been other women, but whatever, I'm not going to give up everything I love just to appease someone I don't care about.

 

[Lorento]

I think there's many factors. Generally, I don't mention the fact I'm a girl when playing videogames because it doesn't matter to the game, but since I started playing Overwatch (which basically requires you to use mic sometimes to climb), my voice makes it fairly obvious since I have generic girl voice #3. But since there's seems to be more women who are doing that, I rarely, if ever, have issues beyond a few jokes at my expense at the beginning.

I think girls are less likely to spend money on games because they have other things that they "should" buy; makeup and such gets expensive, apparently, and since many women value their appearance over hobbies, they'll spend their money that way. (NOTE: expensive makeup is not required to look good unless you're ugly af, but many women go overboard) This leads to less money for videogame buying/playing, especially when the big 'multiplayer' games--which are the games you'd have to play for the other part of the playerbase to notice you--are ~$60, there's not a lot of incentive to buy them practically. I blow all my money on comic books, so I have been pretty picky about the games I've been buying for a few years now, and I buy far fewer than my brother. I want more, but I don't have the $$$. I also think women tend towards different types of games than men. Men are more likely to buy war games that support playing with people, women are more likely to buy singleplayer adventure games, in my experience. Seriously, every female gamer I know has Kentucky Route Zero and loves it.

That, and my biggest detractors from playing videogames has always been other women, but whatever, I'm not going to give up everything I love just to appease someone I don't care about.

I would never want to play games like Crusader Kings 2 or Europa Universalis 4 with women, because every woman I know who plays those games are terrifyingly quick to learn and awesomely ruthless. I'd get crushed.

Women shouldn't be discouraged from playing vidya just because it isn't 'What girls do' because women are just as capable as guys at that sort of thing.

 

[ES 148]

Women shouldn't be discouraged from playing vidya just because it isn't 'What girls do' because women are just as capable as guys at that sort of thing.

This sums up my response to this thread in general. The number doesn't really matter so long as people who enjoy playing videogames are the ones playing videogames.

As is required of me, however, I need to say that while I play video games I don't really get the 'gamer identity'. It's just one of my favourite things to do, not my entire self. Plus, I almost universally play single-player games and only really interact with other players over forums etc, which probably ties into the trend [Insert Meme Here] mentioned.

 

[Manah]

I've never played a video game, because I find the inaccurate representation of women very troubling.

Then there are actual game players who just happen to be female and often don't even admit that online (because of the inevitable sexual harassment by horny 12 year olds).

Sometimes, actual gamers who just happen to be women adopt healer roles and other support roles. However, just as often, these women gamers tank the fuck out and are just as good at that as males.

However, the hostility to "female gamers" has more to do with the "tee hee hee pay attention to me because I'm a gurl" crowd than it does to some inherent misogyny. I've never seen an MMORPG raiding team refuse to admit someone because they're female when they were otherwise obviously qualified. That shit doesn't happen.

Frankly I think the line between sexist against all women and being sexist against women because of the opinion that all women who play games have GOTIS is a pretty thin one at best.

While I can appreciate that the number of abrasive morons who foam at the mouth about how being a woman on the internet is worse than being a German Jew circa 1938 causes a reflex to disagree, that sort of thing still does happen. Incidentally, that's where some of my antipathy for such people comes from, because it's pretty annoying to just be dismissed as overexaggerating.

That said, I'd still say Magic players are way worse.

This sums up my response to this thread in general. The number doesn't really matter so long as people who enjoy playing videogames are the ones playing videogames.

As is required of me, however, I need to say that while I play video games I don't really get the 'gamer identity'. It's just one of my favourite things to do, not my entire self. Plus, I almost universally play single-player games and only really interact with other players over forums etc, which probably ties into the trend [Insert Meme Here] mentioned.

I'd never played a video game until I was like... 15 or 16? and since then it's probably become the hobby I spend the most time on. Even so, I can't help but immediately lose respect for anyone who would use the term 'gamer' in one of the first three words they'd use to describe themselves.

 

[IceGray]

I wonder how many of the people shitposting about chasing girls out of gaming are just kidding, and how many seriously believe it.

As for me, I don't make a big deal of it, just play as well as I can.

 

[charmaide]

I often race in GTA Online, and most the dudes I race with are pretty chill about it. Sometimes I admit my gender (since I have a deep voice, it's fairly easy for others to confuse me for a guy), followed by "but that doesn't mean you have to treat me differently due to what I am."

There's some that act like creeps or just toxic (sometimes both). Those, thankfully, are a rarity.

 

[Lackadaisy]

Eh, it's probably about 45% women or a little higher when looking at all games across the board. There's obviously genres and communities that heavily tip the gender balance one way or the other, like how the Sims community is like 85% female.

 

[BadaBadaBoom]

For starters, anyone who seriously refers to themselves as a "gamer" has already painted themselves as the human equivalent of a Mountain Dew commercial. I don't think many girls fit that title because the title itself seems to be more reserved for douchey young men who also seriously use the term "casuals" as an insult.

For the rest of people who just play games though, I think it's pretty well distributed across the board. Like @Lackadaisy said, you have a ton of games girls prefer over guys (see animal crossing/sims/tomodachi life/harvest moon type games/etc.) while there are other games I think have a more male dominated audience due to competitiveness. I think games that highly revolve around PvP and social interaction with other players (fighting games/FPS) are usually male just for the fact that dudes are loud and obnoxious to one and other and girls will rarely find that appealing. However you have games like Pokemon that includes a perfect cut right down the middle of PvP for those who want it and a solid single player experience which leads to it pretty much being popular with all genders.