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Gender Roles in Video Games

 

            Men have dominated the video game consumer base since the dawn of time. Or, at least since the dawn of video games. Not only the consumer base, but the developers of the most popular video game franchises are primarily men. This would have made sense back in the 80s and 90s when games were targeted directly at young boys. Damsel gets kidnapped, shoot some nazis, save the damsel; that was the template. And it was such a great template when gaming was just a niche hobby that required lots of money. Gaming has expanded though. It is a valid form of media and entertainment. It is cheaper than ever, thus making it more accessible than ever. Accessible to all sorts of demographics. Yes, that includes women. .
             Gaming is now almost exactly a 50/50 hobby between men and women. Yet, people still associate gaming with the male audience. And people still think games are all about shooting some nazis. And some are, and thats great, any and all games are allowed to be made. But the current trend is leaning towards more of an interactive narrative. Not necessarily big, elaborate set pieces exploding in your face to create epicness. But more of an intimate, character driven, emotional roller coaster. Women, being filled with estrogen like they tend to be, have become more and more attracted to these types of games. This was just their introduction into the gaming space though. They eventually started realizing that the nazi killing games are fun, who cares if they have a cohesive story? So women began spreading all around gaming, to so many different corners of the hobby, too many to name. This was good, the shift in diversity was made aware among the consumers across every fan base. The developers did not catch on as fast though.
             Games were and are still being produced with men in mind more than women. These days, a game must have storyline that involves guns and killing and sex and exploration. And thats all well and good, some girls like that too.


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