Console ownership among females has increased dramatically since the PS1 days, significantly expanding the audience of Sony’s gaming brand. As part of a presentation to investors, the Japanese giant noted that approximately 41 per cent of PlayStation 5 and PS4 owners are women. Compare this to just 18 per cent on PS1, and clearly the demographic for consoles is growing.
To us, this highlights the importance of a rich, diverse content portfolio. PlayStation Studios has done a brilliant job of diversifying in recent years, introducing strong female protagonists like Horizon Zero Dawn’s Aloy and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy’s Chloe Frazer – but there’s clearly still plenty of room for improvement here, especially when you consider this data.
It’s great to see that more and more people are playing these days, as more users means greater investment – and, ultimately, better games and services for us all. Sony notes that widening demographics in terms of age, gender, and geography all present growth opportunities for the firm; its task as a publisher is to ensure that it always has a broad spectrum of content to appeal to all tastes.
[source sony.com]
Comments 150
41% is honestly more than I was expecting. Good to see more people enjoying this hobby and hopefully the industry sees that there’s an audience for protagonists that aren’t dudebros!
It's certainly refreshing to have so many girls/women gamers these days I've already added one girl into the mix as my 3,5-year-old daughter can finish Astro's Playroom almost on her own and is likely to be a gamer girl, too.
Looking forward to be part of the half again...
Love the art. Ellie looks dorky af though.
Closer to 2 fifths... BTW who is the left most person on the drawing? excuse my ignorance.
More people being interested in the hobby is a good thing in my eyes.
In my house, 75% of the gamers are female, since I'm the only man and have a wife and two daughters, lol.
While my wife has always been a gamer, I do think that very few women in their 40s are. But it seems that many more women in the generation behind me (the younger Mellinials) are gamers, and in the younger crowd its completely normal for almost everyone to. Which is terrific.
While I'm very glad to see more women play video games, it would be really interesting to see exactly how they came to these numbers.
The 2 sources cited by the document (SIE Global Platform Experience Tracker and PlayStation registration information) don't give us any information on the method used to get that number (especially for an "pre-customer friendly internet" console like the PS1).
That number seems a little high.
For anyone who's interested, here is the list of characters in the image (and the games they're featured in), from left to right:
1. Freya (God of War)
2. Nadine (Uncharted: Lost Legacy)
3. Chloe (Uncharted: Lost Legacy)
4. Aloy (Horizon Zero Dawn)
5. Atoi (Tearaway)
6. Lady Maria (Bloodborne)
7. Ellie (Last of Us)
8. Kara (Detroit: Become Human)
9. Kat (Gravity Rush)
10. Sackgirl (LittleBigPlanet)
When I heard that Sony actively saw female gamers as an area of growth...well, alongside stereotypical views of women I know others unfortunately believe, the censorship of certain games made more sense.
I believe it and I am glad for it.
Being an absolute dork and gamer seems far more acceptable now than it was when I was younger, and seeing how women make up half the population, it makes sense for them to be half of gamers too.
Love that artwork, but where is Fat Princess? Shameful!
Great news.
Hopefully this also leads to more women in the industry as both Digital Artists and Engineers.
@Unlucky13 "While my wife has always been a gamer, I do think that very few women in their 40s are."
How so wrong are you, I'm 38 and a female gamer 👍👍 there is even a few senior gamers on YouTube who have Thier own channels and don't forget the oldest female gamer is in the Guinness book of records for highest score for PAC-man too, <-----look that one up btw
The gaming industry is still a bit sexsist and ignorant towards female gamers, never taking us seriously but it's only slow progress if that will change or not
@hobbes242
8. Kara (Detroit: Become Human)
Thanks 👍
Even the characters shown in the artwork are not able to find a ps5.
I’m curious about the activity levels of this though. I think the idea that 41% of PS gamers being girls is just plain false. For example, both my best friend and his GF own a PS4. One plays games on the odd occasion and the other is a gamer who plays regularly. Big difference.
Wish it was like this 20 years ago and hopefully that % will get to the 50% sooner than later. My wife still asks me when I'm going to finally grow up and stop playing computer games (I manage a few hours a week at best!) to the point any talk of gaming is banned from the house (along with football obviously).
@Jaz007 We could make the same claims for male gamers too though. I have plenty of casual male friends.
And I don't get to dictate an arbitrary standard people must meet to be considered gamers.
@huyi It will change, it will just be slow about it.
Just in general, younger people are more accepting of more diverse groups, and the industry will end up having to cater to generations who don't find girls or minorities icky.
Why is it that a female character makes a groaning sound when she jumps from one platform to another?
@KnightRider1982 They should put me in a video game. I'd make a groaning sound getting off the settee or going up stairs.
Most of the women on my friends list don't even care about Aloy, Chloe or Ellie or whoever. It's just GTAO & RDO for them all day everyday, they hardly play anything else, and people are surprised GTAV is releasing the 3rd time.
@RacistGamer I think the point that @huyi is trying to make is that by acknowledging the fact that a significant portion of gamers (whether it's 41%, 50%, 35%, or whatever) are women, there is a greater chance that games with strong, confident female characters will be made, which creates diversity in the stories being told in these games, and increases the potential for a wider, more diverse audience wanting to play.
Doubt (x)
There's simply no way
@huyi anecdotal evidence is... anecdotal. You can't draw any general conclusions from that.
Very glad to see that many here don't simply accept this as fact and question the methodology used. That's progress.
@JapaneseSonic
I’ve seen similar results.
Out of ten seriously relationships, only two of them played video games. One was fairly casual, the other was definitely hardcore.
I had a friend girl in college that played Halo 3 with me and two other guys as a regular squad. We all had designated roles. Me and her were pointmen, since we were the best players at the rush in game. The two guys we played with were our support since both of them were crack shots with sniper rifles and battle rifles.
"..80% of people with pancreatic cancer die within five years. 95% of appendectomies occur with zero complications. But we both know pancreatic cancer patients that lived, and appendix patients that, unfortunately, passed. Statistics mean nothing to the individual" -Dr. Cox
Just kidding. More gamers, the merrier. Men, women, NB, etc. come one, play all!
I did know a couple of girls who had a PS2 with Singstar and their PS2s were both pink. Maybe the PS5 could come in more colours?
My wife and I used to play Lego Star Wars: Original Trilogy together on the PS2 (then she'd steal my PSP to continue playing on it) and then The Complete Saga on the PS3 before somewhere around firmware 2.20-2.30 semi-bricked the old 60Gb-er and lost the save data, losing interest in restarting.
I bet the Switch % of gamers being female is higher even that the PS4 ratio.
@Jaz007 thats a good point, my sister and niece just use their ps4 accounts for Netflix and fortnite, plus I've put hundreds of hours into apex legends, rocket league, overwatch, the hunt showdown, monster hunter and very rarely see (or hear) female players, but Nintendo on the other hand with games such as Mario kart, pokemon, animal crossing and splatoon in seeing more female players than guys sometimes, I recon Nintendo might possiblyvhave more female players than male, and I recon thats because of the type of games they offer compared to playstation.
Wow really? that's surprising, I want to know what 1st party exclusive games that most woman playstation gamers play, is it uncharted 4 (nathan drake) or horizon zero dawn (aloy)
@Unlucky13
I’m in my mid 40’s and although single atm have dated numerous women over the years and not one has been a gamer.
I think you’re right. It’s more acceptable for the generation after us.
Doubt it, and they should remove Kat from that poster, Playstation failed Gravity Rush.
We still need even more women playing games.back then i play with my girlfriend.but im happy theres more now.i love talking about video games to a female and sports.so its all good.word up son
I have never met a female who has a PlayStation of any kind. Know some who have a Switch and a few with a PC.
What are the percentages per region as I reckon the UK will be a lot lower percentage?
My friend's wife still plays Singstar on his PS3. Does that count?
@Arugula that's Freya, former Queen of the Valkyries, former Queen of Asgard, Baldur's mother and, ok, yes the witch in the woods in the last God of War, c'mon now, show some respect😋.
Cc @Oscarjpc
Jesus H Christ you lot are a bunch of gatekeepers. ‘Yeah but they aren’t real gamers’ is the sort of attitude that makes women feel unwelcome in communities like this. My mum’s two favourite games ever are Tropico and Red Dead Redemption 2. Who are we to judge what makes someone a real gamer?
... Well this comment section is rather embarrassing... 😞
@enigk It definitely used to be male dominated in the 80s/90s (not deliberately AFAIK, just seemed girls weren't interested) but the younger generation, I can definitely believe is getting close to 50/50.
@Arugula that's nice of you, but the game is ancient by now. No spoilers alert no more. Enough is enough. 😈
I dug Aloy but the occasional "Ugh, men..." comment really bugged me. Complaining about sexism and generalizing the opposite sex is kind of... Hypocritical, no? It wasn't enough that I complained but since this article is particularly about equality, I will mention it now.
I also question the methodology here. The figure has most certainly grown from the PS1 days I'm sure but, idk, 41% sounds unrealistic.
My anecdote: There are 3 females in my household. They have PSN accounts, sure, but do they ever touch the PlayStation? Not really. I don't know how much money I've wasted on games trying to get them interested but it never fails a game gets played once and then never touched again. Meanwhile they'll sink countless hours into mobile games. There's just no way I'd consider them console owners.
@Richnj I think we can make a consensus that playing games once a week or every other week (maybe longer between) isn't the kind of gamer we are talking about here. And of course there are plenty of male casual gamers, doesn't mean that there aren't a lot more male gamers than female gamers. All the talk about standards and diversity don't change a thing if the groups just do or don't choose to spend their time that way.
@nessisonett Totally agree.
What is this ridiculous attitude people have? Why do they need the numbers verified and quantified? Are they afraid that if more women are playing video games it means they don't get to play?
And I'm sorry guys, but "I've never dated a woman who liked video games", however important to your personal experience, is not representative of the world at large. It's anecdotal.
@Richnj Technically its something like 51.65-52% of the population actually xD
This comments section is basically: "The three women I know in my life don't play games so this statistic can't be right!"
That explains why more gamers are "hooking up", making babies and then moaning they haven't got time to play Returnal...
Seeing Kat coming through in the background with a "Don't forget about me!" expression makes me sad. Gravity Rush was too pure for this world. 😆
But @get2sammyb, is there a link to a high-res version of the image in the article?
@LiamCroft You know, I was going to say the opposite. Majority of the female friends I have play, my mates girlfriend just started playing ps4 and other than my most recent ex, all my other previous partners played games from childhood. It's almost like it's totally dependent on who you randomly met in your life. XD
@Balosi I can believe it is getting closer but the PlayStation numbers are what surprise me. That would imply to me that Nintendo's numbers must be even closer to 50/50 and Xbox is way back in third place.
@nessisonett Easy question; does he/she like Knack? If not, get out!
@LiamCroft really it's more like I literally don't know any women who play console games. I'm not counting Nintendo either. But if we must then now I know a couple.
This shouldn't be taken as resistance to more women playing though. I am so not a guys guy and for this reason welcome a more feminine gaming landscape. Like, it can't be overstated how refreshing that would be.
Still, I'm more just wondering the methodology. If it tracks then okay then.
@zupertramp Same here, I have quite a lot of female friends, one plays LOL occasionally, like once a month maybe, but none are PC/console gamers. I think it's partly due to the way it is viewed, as a boys thing. That stereotypical view surely waning away, but I bet the boys vs girls stereotypes are still very much present at the playground (I haven't been young for a good while, so I don't have any first hand experience ).
I personally don't know if more female protagonists are solving the issue, if it's just a wider social issue. It's not like I have an issue playing as a female character. I literally don't care as long as the game is good. But maybe that's just me, and people do care about it.
My mom played a huge part in fostering my love of video games. She played a few herself - Tetris, Zoom, Cratermaze...but more than anything she made a concerted effort to spend time with me while I gamed. She engaged me at my level, asking all kinds of questions about gameplay, story, themes, mechanics and was in constant awe of how these things were made and how they evolved. In hindsight, it was brilliant on her part as it both connected us in a simple way and also consistently had me thinking about what I was engaging in. Thanks mom!
I now have my own children and enjoy using games as a teaching tool - determination, problem solving, critical thinking, appreciation of the arts, comprehension. My daughters love playing games and are quite good at them. Of course balance is everything but games are wonderful and I will always encourage my girls to pursue what fulfills them.
Frequency of use really feels relevant to me, regardless of gender. I'll occasionally pot a plant or seed the garden or something but seriously, does that make gardening a hobby? Am I gardener? Seems a stretch especially when half the time I mess with plants I just end up killing them.
Like, thinking there needs to a baseline for what makes something a hobby is gatekeeping now? I mean, I guess.
@hobbes242 Having strong female leads in games may sway some, but if it really is a factor? How many males here would not play Horizon Zero Dawn or Tomb Raider (to name but two) simply because the lead is female? Surely the reason to play the game is the appeal of the game itself, and therefore it matters not what the sex of the protagonist is.
Maybe I think differently; because despite being a burly bloke in my late 50's, I always create a female character in a game where I can, but regardless I'll happily play any other game where the protagonist is male if the game is something I want to play.
It just makes me question how much the sex of the protagonist really is a factor...
@Octane yeah it's unfortunate that the incredulous among us are getting painted as women haters (or somewhere near there). I'm simply recounting what I see in my life which really isn't the same as being satisfied with the way things are.
Me, I prefer female protagonists. RPGs, I'm a girl. Fighting games, girl. I'll take a Nariko, or Lara Croft, or Faith Connors, or Black Canary, or Amanda Ripley, or Aloy any day. But like you say, I'm not sure if these characters are helping bridge the gender divide. Who knows. Most females I know see a certain kind of gaming as a male hobby. But like, I didn't decide that lol.
Gaming hasn't been a 'guy thing' for a long time now, lol. It's a mainstream hobby. Everybody games these days.
Interestingly, at least in North America, 3DS and Wii U were owned by more women than men.
@zupertramp just to touch on “...I’m not sure if these characters are helping bridge the gender divide...”, I would have shared your sentiment until I had daughters. When playing a game, often the first question is, “can I be a girl?” “Is there a girl one?” Or the crushing disappointment ringing in a hollow “oh” if I say no there isn’t that option. There is no question in my mind now that a female protagonist is appealing, at least to young girls.
@nessisonett @LiamCroft I mean, it all seems way worse from where I stand. People not believing that girls play games, largely based on who they've slept with?.
It's like the worst kind of gatekeeping, sexist, stereotypical gamer, and I'm a little shocked and disappointed.
@Jaz007 "I think we can make a consensus that playing games once a week or every other week (maybe longer between) isn't the kind of gamer we are talking about here"
I'm not sure we can. Why?
@Jimmer-jammer That's a good point actually. I can imagine young boys not wanting to play as a girl either.
Am I alone, who in his life meet more gameess than gamers? Girls just don't talk about it as guys. Various places, occasions, age, occupation, richness... almost any woman I've met and said I'm gamer she replied so. So that is no surprise for me.
That almost half is still a difference of tens of millions towards male. Good for Sony though! Grow that market!
@Octane absolutely, for the most part. Funnily enough, our boy is the most likely to branch out in that regard. He was running around as “sack girl” for a time...but yeah it’s usually boys all the way! Even something as simple as the option to switch between Crash and Coco is very welcome in our world.
@Jimmer-jammer makes sense. I didn't mean to imply that it had no impact, fwiw. Just professing my ignorance on the matter lol. My sense is that having that option definitely doesn't hurt. Although, it never really amounted to much for my daughters.
They just aren't into video games. And part of me wonders, although parents do play an outsized role in development, if the culture overall (one that dictates that video games are for boys) didn't take root more than what I was selling. Because there is a whole culture outside of the home that children are thrust into and that culture is going to have a very different vibe depending on where you live. I even tried to steer away from pink and blue but idk being in the southern US, one parental unit fighting against stereotypes maybe just didn't cut it. Idk.
In any case, there's nothing I see that would make it more of a male hobby except for the fact that the games do tend to reward aggressive and violent tendencies. Not every game mind you, but y'know, a lot. This is why I just can't do online games anymore. Too much testosterone.
@Unlucky13 My mother is in her late 50's and was an arcade queen as a teenager. She is still a gamer to this day.
@zupertramp it’s an interesting topic that, in typical internet fashion, seems to be difficult to navigate in a comments section. You really shouldn’t be painted as anything but a critical thinker for the questions you raised...My wife very much has the viewpoint that video games are for boys but she’s coming around.
Ultimately I think it’s great that gamer culture and marketing is (hopefully) becoming less one sided and understanding from all sides will aid that. This goes beyond gender and into what gaming is for any individual. A lot of folks I know use their PlayStation as a sports game machine and nothing else, and that shouldn’t be discounted either. Cheers!
@JapaneseSonic I got alot of my ex gf into gaming because I'd talk about it so much
This is awesome to hear. My girlfriend wanted to play games when she was younger but she was not allowed. I introduced her to Detroit a couple of years ago and that was the first game she ever completed. We were locked down together last year and I introduced her to Breath of the Wild which she played for 150+ hours. She’s now finished Horizon, God of War, Valhalla and is now playing Disco Elysium. Last night we both watched the Horizon Forbidden West state of play and we were both ridiculously excited.
Without the pandemic I don’t think she would have become the gamer she has now but it’s so nice to have a joint hobby.
@TeapotBuddha @nessisonett Someone who plays games often and regularly as a hobby. It's about who's putting the time in, who's spending the money, the people supporting and pushing the industry along more than others, particularly with non super mainstream games.
If I talk to my friend or his GF about gaming, the distinction and difference in conversation and interest is going to be abundantly clear regardless of what labels you want to put it, so yes, there is a difference.
Also, I think it's funny that you guys think I'm gatekeeping or care, or rather don't think it would be a positive to have more "gamer girls." I do think that would be nice, but frankly, trying to label things to be inclusive with just labels, does not change if guys tend to put more time and money into it. You're trying to expand the gamer label while literally side-stepping the meat of the question, which is "do guys generally put more time, money, and energy into video games because they have it as more of a preferred hobby?". That's what I'm talking about.
If we were to talk about games, how in depth can it (or would you want to) go would be another way to look at it.
And sure, accdontal evidence is jus that, but at some point it can't be almost everyone's experience. All I did was question the deeper meaning and reality behind the statistics, which if you've learned about statistics, you'd know one figure often doesn't paint the entire picture.
This was longer than I meant it to be, but it's crazy that you guys want to complain about attitudes while literally just imagining the attitude of others then having a negative one towards them without knowing anything about them.
I play with several girls I know in real life so not surprised by this tbh.
No way, not buying it. Lol
@Tecton217 Why is this? is it really that hard to believe girls like to play games as well as guys? Christ :/
I'm seeing a side to this Community I don't like at all and it makes me very angry.
Some horrible comments here.
@LiamCroft No, actually the comment section is, "I'm not an idiot, so I won't automatically trust something I read online. I'll check out the methodology first and see if it's trustworthy".
@naruball Do you think that about every single article we post then? Because if not, it sure is interesting that comments like this are made when it involves women.
@LiamCroft I’ve raised my eyebrow at plenty of claims, yes. Given the story this statistic feels like it’s trying to tell, your comment, to be honest, feels like “There’s a good chance you’re right, but it’s still sexist.”, which doesn’t make sense. Correct if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t you be arguing the logic of the arguments first and foremost? Because there’s a whole lot of assuming and projecting about attitudes people don’t have here.
@RubyCarbuncle @RubyCarbuncle
At that ratio yes. Sounds like propaganda.
Yeah it was a big sausage fest back in the day. Circle jerks over boys. : )
Who cares? The gaming community is made up of all walks of life..not just men,women but all sorts...why is it even an article as all its doing is causing negative comments again..
@naruball i wouldnt bother...i really wouldnt..
@Tecton217 Propaganda? pfftt get out of here with that crap. If there was an Article about the percentage of guys playing is that Propaganda too? more and more women are taking up gaming as a hobby get over it.
@RubyCarbuncle
This is the same company that supported BLM. So no I don’t believe any PR that would come out of their mouths.
Also implying I have an issue with girls in gaming by telling me to get over it is pretty presumptuous.
Also, the fact that this website cherry picked that one bit of info from Sony’s presentation all but confirms its propaganda lol. You’re allowed to question things, sheep isn’t the required race to select, human is also available.
@zupertramp
Questioning these numbers is fine, but everyone thinks in extremes today. "Shock and awe! Disgusting! I'm so disappointed!" Most women I know - friends, family, coworkers aren't console gamers. Most are mobile gamers or don't game at all. I think the idea of more young female console gamers definitely has merit, and regardless of whether the 41% figure is accurate, they certainly want to project that to grow the market.
@Athrum Really i think she looks cute.
@RogerRoger You should read the YouTube comment section its shame combined with shock.
@Tecton217 Your way of thinking and people here that think in a similar way are an embarrassment quite frankly, sorry but you are. If this was about men nothing would have been said.
Whatever I'm done here I'm really disappointed with this Community tbh.
The more the merrier!
If online communities are less toxic and judgemental then more people will feel welcome.
who cares , honestly . this shouldn't be topic worthy . people in this day & age of the snowflake era complain about any and everything especially when it comes to sexism ; yet people make topics and announcements like these as an indirect incentive to keep this sexism nonsense going , as if it really matters . all topics like these do , is gas up the attention-seekers who feel the need to let strangers know online that they're the opposite sex as some sort of badge of honor and privilege , its primitive .
people play video games . it was never NOT a unisexual hobby .
@Tecton217 Shill? what a hypocrite you are. Shill is typically used when someone online doesn't agree with someone and can't think of anything else to say what are you 12?. I have no issues with differing opinions but you lot come across as sexist with some of your statements here.
Shill? hardly I just believe in equality. The reality is more and more women are taking up gaming as a hobby and if you lot don't like it that's too bad. You say you don't have a problem with girls? well you could have fooled me with your attitude calling me a Shill for a start.
@Tecton217 Not really you called it Propaganda and I called you out on it. My point is if this was about men you wouldn't question it so why question whether these statistics for women are true? why do people care so much that's the point I was trying to make. Maybe I did come down a bit heavy on you it's just I don't like guys who are sexist. Not saying that you're sexist but yeah.
Either way let's leave it at this we are both gamers, not worth arguing about. No hard feelings yeah?
@RubyCarbuncle Okay. But the point about men is moot. If I’m suggesting my opinion is less women own a Ps5 than do men (which according to Sony is true), why would I be surprised if my own suspicious were reported to be true ? I don’t see how sexism comes into play with making an observation on consumer purchase. No one is bothered by women owning a Ps5 lol, that’s not even remotely the point.
@LiamCroft this has nothing to do with women, but nice assumption.
To answer your silly question, all you have to do is look at the content of your previous articles. Do they all include statistics?
I have questioned several times the validity of the information posted here when the source is problematic. Every single time, your response has been aggressive and relies on assumptions about me rather than facts (example: questioning the Bloomberg reports about Sony, many of which proved to be fabrications). So, feel free to answer this question for me, please:
Did the Bloomberg articles have anything to do with women? Then perhaps you should think twice before making accusations against others based on mere assumptions.
@hobbes242 Thanks for that list, I didn't know who a few of them were!
Hello ladies. Have you seen my trophy level? Pretty big huh~? I promise I'll get you a platinum trophy if we go steady. 😎
@naruball seriously this guys all over the place..he brought somebody to book the other day for calling people peasents stating it was going against the sites code of conduct blah,blah,blah but didnt say anything about the 2 posters that called people morons and chumps..he only opens his mouth when he wants to attempt to look authorative or try and be sarcastic..waste of time trying to reason with him as he is just condescending and purile...
You know, when "gamer girls" can play better than an actual professional games journalist, I'm willing to call them "gamers" regardless of whether they only play once a week or not.
That likely doesn’t even include the those of us that play on systems owned by male family members and friends. We have always been around but many women weren’t going to make the investment in a console or hardware unless we had to. I am still the only one that maintains a library and buys consoles among my friends but we all play. My buddies just play what their boyfriends/husbands/sons/brothers bring into the house and on occasion buy their own games.
Many of them use their ipad/phone/non gaming class pc as their gaming rig because it is a multi function device. It’s the willingness to buy a dedicated console that has always been low.
Plus because women often play a lot of games that have fallen out of favor with men and are deemed casual (a game is a game, y’all) they are dismissed. The woman that plays the sims or candy crush or a visual novel is just as valid as the guy that plays COD. Also the take off of character creation made gaming more inclusive silently and now we have more and more games starring not only women, but varied women instead of the designed for heterosexual male gaze which has made gaming more appealing to invest in. Social media/online gaming has also helped female gamers find each other.
Socialization also plays a role. Video games under goes an image change like every 5 years or so. Arcades were for everyone young in the late 70s (obviously pinball is included) but in a date night sorta way, then the 80s sorta shifted to it being teenage boys, the home consoles were family consoles that slowly shifted to “boy’s toys” in the late 80s early 90s, then it shifted again as pc and early online games became varied to appeal to girls to mixed effect and now its in a mix space. There is still tons of male hostility (this comment section for instance) and doubt towards female gamers (nobody qualifies male gamers) but now women can more easily game with friends or the younger generations don’t care. Plus it helps that many women that are gamers get their daughters into it (thank you mom!) more now than ever.
@LiamCroft @naruball The article is reporting on Sony's graphic, and I know at least some of the info in there is sourced from big analytical companies that charge a lot of money for that info. Which companies like Sony are happy to pay because it helps them run their business.
Your OP was "doubt X. There simply is no way."
Doubting data and wanting to see the source is one thing, but you just made a conclusion seemingly based on nothing because you gave zero evidence for why there's simply no way.
Under those circumstances, it's hard for you to take some critical thinking high ground.
It's nice to see Ellie happy for a change — I'm hoping this picture was taken after the events of TLOU2.
Pushsquare proving the obvious that the majority of so-called gaming journalism lean heavily left. I'm not saying that because of the article but because of your antagonism toward people who dare question it. And I too don't believe that number for a second. Sorry. Like some previous people stated, what's their methodology to prove this? I would be shocked if the actual number was more than 20% female on playstation. They are probably averaging the amount of females in a household. When I was younger and worked at gamestop and 95% of the customers were men. When I have shopped at gamestop there were mostly men 90% of the time. Sony is just virtue signaling in my opinion unfortunately. As tens of thousands of people are fleeing California because of high taxes, high crime, drugs, homelessness, abd draconian covid policies, Playstation chooses to move in. Capital of wokeness and failed leftest policies. I pray it doesn't affect them any more than it has.
@Arugula @Ryu_Niiyama Why would you be proud of that? You should be just as proud/happy irrespective of what your family member's sex is. Bizarre.
Well, good for us.! It's always good to see more people enjoy the hobby we like, and as a girl I'm always happy to be able to discuss games with other girls. What I don't always understand is the fact that, when we talk about girl gamers we always have to talk about "strong females in video games". Don't get me wrong, I like a strong heroine, but I will not be disappointed if I can't play as a woman (I like playing as Kratos, Cloud or Geralt like any gamer would!)
Some male pass as female in games, and it's also true for female who pass as male : heck, I play as Male Eivor (love me some badass burly viking, and his voice! ) and one of my male friend play as female Eivor. What would be interesting to talk about is things like fanservice (is it more equally oriented than in the past, to also cater to the "41%" women gamers? Or can the male/female hero appeal to women and men alike?) because as genre go, I'm not sure we can really have a distinction between "girl game" and "boy game"
@Exlee300p No, they teach actual critical thinking, which leads to a person being less close minded. (whispers which just so happens to align with the left's more open minded beliefs)
You've pretty much, verbatim, repeated a dozen right wing talking points, and it sounds like you are quite far down that rabbit hole, and I'd highly advise reassessing your relationship with those ideas.
Well if this comment section proves anything it's the fact that the gaming community is just as juvenile as it always has been...
I think it's time to just lock this article up as the children have proven they can't be trusted to play with their toys nicely.
... Not that they ever could 😒
People come up with statistics all the time to prove anything .
40% of people know that.
41%???
I'd find 10% shocking, but 41%!!!???
@LiamCroft if 4 out of every 10 playstation gamers were women, we wouldn't be having this discussion. Maybe in 10 years but definitely not at the moment.
@Northern_munkey "The gaming community is made up of all walks of life..not just men,women but all sorts...why is it even an article as all its doing is causing negative comments again.."
I like to believe that the author and PS at large just thought it was a cool titbit that they'd share, and didn't expect this kind of backlash. At worst, maybe they knew it would be controversial and would cause engagement.
But either way, the fact that the mere mention of girls gaming can cause such a bad and heavy response instead of "oh cool", is the reason male gamers need to be told this isn't exclusively (or largely) their space.
@Exlee300p Why should I not celebrate that more women and girls are gaming and that it is being seen by companies that make games?
I always find the comments and reactions to these kinds of stories a bit sad. I've never dated a guy who's been into games as much as me but I still believe that men play videogames..
@Richnj pushsquare is a really good site and the majority of the posters are good people but pushsquare is also very good at stirring up hornets nests and publishing click bait articles wether its intended or not..i couldnt care less about the gender pool of gamers and the reason i read the comments was because it was obvious that it was going to descend into the toxic mire again..
So, a handful of people have questioned the motive behind the article. That's fine and I'm happy to elaborate: I thought it was interesting and it seems that others did too.
The data, as sourced, is from Sony's investor relations report. I'm not sure of the methodology employed, but it's safe to assume that they haven't just pulled this number out of a hat. The context of the statistic is that they consider broadening demographics as a key growth metric. I can't imagine they'd be lying about this as it will guide their future forecasts and I doubt investors would be too happy if they're lying about it.
Reading the thread, I think the discussion by and large has been generally okay. I think it's fine to debate the source of the statistics — although, unless with know Sony's methodology, then none of us are ever going to get a conclusive answer about how they settled upon that number.
I'd like to think we can all agree that a broadening gaming demographic is always a good thing.
What I'd ask is that you be respectful and thoughtful in your responses. We have many female readers here and I want this community to be welcoming for all. Please keep that in mind before replying.
@Northern_munkey Thanks for reading and posting. Please report posts if you think they are against the rules. We're working hard to ensure our moderation actions are more transparent, but in the meantime rest assured that we do look at the reports.
I'm not sure there's any need to personally call Liam out here. If you have a specific problem with the moderation then you're welcome to use the contact form and we'll happily respond in due time.
Thanks again for reading!
@get2sammyb ok fair enough and as for the calling out liam personally i think it was justified as he dosnt stop short of calling others out personally if something gets his goat up..maybe i can be a bit more judicious in my comments in future and maybe mr croft can be a bit less snarky,conceited and downright patronising in the future..
This comment section has taught me one thing. If an Article is about men nothing is said if an Article is about women people lose their minds and start coming up with some wild theories of their own.
This article and thread shows both how far gaming has come in terms of inclusivity and how far it still has to go. The fact that some even feel the stats need to be questioned to start with illustrates there’s still a broad section of the community who feel somehow threatened by an increase in female players, whether they realise/admit it to themselves or not. Supposed arguments about critical thought, methodology etc are a smokescreen. For the sake of debate, let’s say Sony DID pull these numbers out of thin air. What would their agenda be exactly? I can’t see any other reasons than to encourage more women to play with the message that it’s not just a boys club, or at worst increase sales by using that same message cynically (giant corporation in cynical money-making move shocker), both of which arrive at the same destination: more women joining the community. Critical thought’s an excellent personal attribute, and perhaps more valuable now than ever, but where you choose to apply it says more about your own worldview than the arguments you make in its application.
So many unwarranted conclusions being drawn by so many commenters...
An impressive stat. I just never seem to meet any, haha.
@HUMPERDOO I really don't understand the people saying they pulled this out of thin air. And suggesting these stats are made up is just incredibly stupid.
However, there's nothing wrong in asking how they got the data. Like, my GF has a profile on my PS5, does that count? (genuinely curious) If so, then maybe this number is more inflated than it actually seems, meaning there is still a long way to go.
@Jenny_Jones I mean, I think that’s a bit unfair considering you have a job at a fanning site lol. There’s also a big number of people not into gaming that are men, and even if only 10-20% of the core gaming audience are females, that’s not an insignificant number by stretch of the imagination considering how big gaming is.
If the percentage changes to be higher, that means more money to gaming and all the more likelihood of dating someone who’s into gaming too for me. If the number doesn’t grow, I mean, I’m not gonna be miffed? I don’t have a reason to truly care much either way honestly. As a big gamer I just think it’s interesting since I go into fine detail about so man other aspects of the industry. There’s no downside to it, it just is what it is. And I’m interested in what it actually is lol.
@get2sammyb Thanks, I appreciate the explanation and rational reaction to people wondering what the statistic really means. It just amazes me how many people claim questioning it make you small minded, even if you’re right about, you’re still small minded for it.
And I have no issue with the article being here, because it came from Sony, so keep up the good news! 👍
@Octane Sure. Like I say, questioning things is great. My point here is more what’s behind the questioning. If people were saying “I distrust the validity of this data because I think there hasn’t been enough done to include women and they’re covering it up” it would obviously be different. But that’s clearly not the sentiment from the comments I’ve read. And the motive of supposedly scrutinising a corporation’s data simply because it should be doesn’t hold water because, frankly, whether it’s accurate or not a) has no legal implications for these guys at all, and b) makes literally no difference to their lives whatsoever. The only reason it would make a difference is if maintaining an artificial gender divide is important to them, which is certainly what it looks like to me.
@Jaz007 is it unfair though? Lot's of other people in the comments have talked about how none of their girlfriends or close female friends are gamers and therefore they don't believe the figures. I'm just pointing out that (outside of the people I know online) I don't know any men that game as much as I do. All the men I know at my non-gaming work are not that into videogames apart from the occasional game of FIFA.
If I was just looking at my own anecdotal evidence, as many commentators here have done, I could easily assume that men aren't that into gaming.
Thankyou to everyone for reminding me of this scene from Futurama.
https://youtu.be/XCEx6PXpLPs
I don't want to stir up the hornets nest even further but I wonder if Sony is counting all the men that have transitioned? I mean there has been more trans players nowadays and more power to em, I just know that pretty much no females besides my younger sister in my social circle are gamers. Even then she doesn't really consume the hobby like those of us that visit gaming sites and stay up on all the news do. I really do hope that more girls start gaming though, that'd be one thing I can relate to with em lol
I know I'm a true Pony...I knew each one of these protagonist's names and completed all of their games lol. Well didn't quite finish Detroit.
@get2sammyb You've got to be kidding me Sammy. You can't imagine a corporation lying or embellishing. That is virtually all they do. Sony wants to show they are diverse and virtue signal but the data doesn't add up and you think they wouldn't lie? Let me guess you also believe the covid stats are completely undoctored and it's so deadly you should wear a mask outside by yourself.
I'm taking a break from coming here. I express my dislike of guys who are sexist and the attitude of some people here is quite shocking. Now admittedly I did jump to conclusions in regards to some people but it's clear to me there are those who feel threatened by this statistic whether it's true or not. Why? I do not know. It has NOTHING to do with me seeing things that only fit my narrative this is merely me showing strong support for female gamers and trying to make them feel welcome.
Teaching Marxist ideals? lol what a load of horse ***** Only a Right Wing would think like that
@Ryu_Niiyama Because it should irrelevant what sex the people gaming are. It should be a neutral feeling, neither good nor bad. By saying it's a better/good thing for there to be more women gamers the other implication is that it's a bad thing that there were more male gamers before. And I think that's ridiculous. It is not a bad thing that more males have traditionally been attracted to gaming. Another implication is that a majority of males is not diverse. As if males are a monolith with no diversity amongst our ranks. Which is of course patently absurd. Nor is it necessarily better that more women are gaming. It should not matter what the sex is of the gamer. Identity politics is the bane of modern society.
@RubyCarbuncle 👊
I know quite a few female gamers. Largely on PS3 snd 4 and switch. They tend to play one or two games and in bursts. My wife, for example, will go months without playing, and then play Sims for many hours over a few days. She and many of our female friends also dropped in to Animal Crossing for 10 minutes a day. None of them would buy and play as many games as I or my male friends would (they are general far more happy to spend on micro transactions though).
Which is absolutely not to say they aren’t gamers, just that Sony should be careful about understanding their different demographics and how to appeal to each.
I also accept that my peer group (I’m 38 and so is my wife, with our friends similar) may not be representative of a younger age group.
@Exlee300p "Because it should irrelevant what sex the people gaming are. It should be a neutral feeling, neither good nor bad."
Then why was your initial response so negative and dismissive of the implication that a large portion of gamers are girls?
"And I too don't believe that number for a second. Sorry. Like some previous people stated, what's their methodology to prove this? I would be shocked if the actual number was more than 20% female on playstation."
And for the record, it is good that more girls play games. It's good because it means the industry is growing. It's good because the stigma of who can play games is being challenged, allowing more people to feel welcome in the gaming communities. It's good because game design itself will evolve and more obscure genres, less violent genres can have more success.
It's good because if women represent half of human population but only 10-20% of gamers (as people keep repeating here with zero evidence to back that up) then it would mean there's still major issues with the industry that's putting people off from becoming a consumer of that content. In contrast, women make up around 50% of moviegoers, and around 44% of Spotify listeners.
If women make up 50% of all other demographics, why is 40% on playstation unbelievable?
@Akimi stepped away from this comments section for a bit because yeah, people tend to make assumptions about every facet of your personality and your entire believe system off a few statements. I personally think this is unwise. Some people fit into these imagined stereotypical boxes that we've all created in our minds but certainly not everyone so there's no reason to assume you "know" the person behind the words. Imo.
My general feeling is that it is in Sony's interest to appear as inclusive as possible. And while I very seriously doubt this figure is an outright lie, I can imagine a scenario where they chose the metric that allowed them to get to the highest number of female gamers possible, even if the methodology or results are somewhat dubious. That's pretty much how statistics work most of the time. Massage the data until you get the numbers you need. Even the article headline presents 41% as almost half, thus further massaging the data. After all, if I have $41 I don't say almost 50. I say 41.
But are there undoubtedly more female gamers? I'm gonna go with a protracted Cenk Uygur "Of course!" on that one. I don't think anyone would dispute that. But probably there are less that personally invest in a console for themselves. Many females are probably just console gamers by proxy, choosing instead to play games on their phone or tablet or wherever else one plays games now.
And to be clear that doesn't make them less of a gamer in my view, just wouldn't call them PlayStation gamers. But even the name PlayStation has a youthful and almost immature connotation. And for which gender in our society is it more acceptable to be seen as doing immature things? Dudes. Peter Pans with their PlayStations. This is something PlayStation probably knows and in the interest of growth is trying to change that. What better way to do that than by appealing to women, with acceptance from other women.
Anyway that was way longer than I expected and not directed really at any one person. Just ramblings that I humbly submit.
Great news. Hopefully it'll push way above 41% over this generation. Let's get even more female characters in games. I always prefer playing as a female character to a big burley male character with a big dong!
@StonyKL I feel your pain. I only manage about 20 hours a week on my Ps5.
@Richnj First of all my response wasn't negative to the assertion that 41% of playstation owners are women, it was incredulity. I have zero issue with women gamers and or the fact that their numbers are increasing. I just find that number to be dubious based on my emperical experiences. Especially when you consider Sony is trying to show they are inclusive. You can make stats say whatever you want. Secondly what a ridiculous statement to make, that because women make up 50% of the population they must therefore make up 50% of every hobby or profession. This may come as a surprise to you, but their are differences between the sexes. Particularly what they like and dislike. Would you say it's problematic that over 95% of nurses are female? Is there discrimination against men? Would the field be better off with more men? I don't think so. The only thing that matters is the qualifications of the person. People are attracted to what they are enthusiastic and passionate about. So no I don't agree that it is just inherently better for more women to game. The only thing that matters is whether the person is passionate and enthusuastic about gaming in my opinion.
@Exlee300p "I just find that number to be dubious based on my emperical experiences."
Your emperical experiences are anecdotal, and do not represent the larger picture. My personal emperical experience say that no one even gets cancer, let alone dies from it. Doesn't make it a reality.
" Especially when you consider Sony is trying to show they are inclusive."
Oh no. How dare they?. They truly are evil. /s
"You can make stats say whatever you want."
So why didn't they say that women make up 50%? They'd be even more inclusive then.
"Secondly what a ridiculous statement to make, that because women make up 50% of the population they must therefore make up 50% of every hobby or profession."
It would be, but since I didn't mention professions... That was just you projecting your politics in to the conversation.
And I never said they "must", I said that given the demographics of other entertainment industries it wouldn't be surprising if they also made up 41% of gaming. See, I'm using actual evidence as a logical base, not my personal experiences.
"This may come as a surprise to you, but their are differences between the sexes. Particularly what they like and dislike."
This may come as as surprise to you, but women have a wide range of likes and dislikes besides barbie dolls.
"Would you say it's problematic that over 95% of nurses are female? Is there discrimination against men?"
I'd say that it's actually 88% and that the numbers are a symptom of decades of sexism and the role being considered a women's job.
"Would the field be better off with more men? I don't think so."
I would, and so would health care providers, who have been making pushes at normalising male nurses.
"The only thing that matters is the qualifications of the person. People are attracted to what they are enthusiastic and passionate about."
And plenty of males could be great at the job but avoid it because of the stigma.
@Richnj I don't know that they meant that the Sony showing they are inclusive remark was a bad thing. Just more so that it gives Sony a reason to be biased. And true you can't make statistics say anything but you can make the numbers as favorable as possible to whatever case you're trying to make. I think the user was saying that only more hyperbolically.
And admittedly I don't get your 50% population reasoning either. There's just some hobbies that will skew toward certain genders, even if the reasons are related to stereotypes and societal norms and such. (Rather than inherit differences in the sexes) Like your male nursing example. Which I'd agree we do in fact need way more male nurses. It's what I'd go into if I had it to do all over again. But oh well.
I'd just add this stat reminds of when a giant corp makes a noble stand on some cause whilst also carrying out some heinous world destroying machinations in the background. So I just think it's worth knowing how accurate this is before patting Sony on the back for all the progress it's made.
Anyway cheers.
Edit: wow, so I stand by giving people the benefit of the doubt but having read the person's response below I'm less likely to do so in their case in the future. man.
@Richnj You clearly see everything through the lense of identity. Or perhaps being a nurse doesn't appeal to men generally speaking because of their innate differences. That is why there are so few. I doubt there are many men who passionately want to be a nurse but don't because of the stigma of it. And no there is nothing wrong with that. There is not always some pernicious force to explain differences in demographics. And yes I am well aware that women have a wide range of tastes and likes, just as men do. And of course that is obvious.
There is nothing wrong with inclusion on it's face, but it is clearly an agenda.
No you did not bring up professions but I did to illustrate a point. Hobbies, like professions are often chosen because of the innate differences between men and women and it is not always some nefarious happenings as the cause. Just fundamental differences between men and women.
Your snarky remark about my empiracal observations are nothing like your characterization of what I said. I didn't doubt that the amount of women playstation owners had increased, only the accuracy of the stated percentage.
Why didn't Sony just fake a higher percentage you ask potentially? Well because the number was already suspicious enough. If they went any higher it would be obvious they were fudging the numbers.
And sorry bud but your vocabulary is filled with marxist buzzwords like normalizing and inclusion. I believe virtually every intelligent person believes in equity of opportunity. The problem is many people think there should be equity of outcome, but sadly that can only be achieved through tyranny.
@Exlee300p You are reaching pretty far there. I am not saying anything about male gamers at all (neither is the article). I am saying “yay more female gamers”. Gaming doesn’t have a finite capacity. Celebrating females doesn’t tear down males. It is a logical fallacy to assert that focus on one thing means a concentrated effort to diminish something else. It means that you are focused on the subject of the conversation. It is possible to have a conversation without it being about everyone (the fake neutral stance is usually used to silence others by psudo shaming). Conversations are not a sports team where you have winners or losers. It is a conversation. Debates are another matter of course.
As for what a feeling should be, no one can dictate to another how they should feel because you don’t have their perspective and going around being neutral/indifferent/apathetic may be cool for you but I will feel how I feel, regardless. Now you have the right to avoid or be wary of a person for how they feel if you find it harmful of course, but that doesn’t change the way the other person feels. You do you.
My joy and positivity however remains unchanged.
Your argument was wholly unconvincing and illogical, so I will continue on with my life. Good luck in yours.
Have a nice day.
@zupertramp "And admittedly I don't get your 50% population reasoning either. There's just some hobbies that will skew toward certain genders, even if the reasons are related to stereotypes and societal norms and such."
I mean, societal norms part would be the issue. I don't see any reason why an interactive story or entertainment would not appeal to women. As an example, apparently, 40% of D&D players are female. And I'm not sure that is any more of a girl's thing than gaming.
@Exlee300p "your vocabulary is filled with marxist"
Auf Wiedersehen comrade.
@Ryu_Niiyama Yes it is possible to have a conversation without including everyone, however in this case when you/people say it is better to have more female gamers just because they are female, it logically follows then that it is worse to have more males. And I totally agree with you, celebrating females does not bring down males, which is why I never said that.
And I don't have fake stances. It wasn't a fake neutral stance. I wholly and earnestly believe that it is no cause for celebration to have more or less of one sex over the other in gaming. The only thing that matters in my opinion is your enthusiasm for gaming. I was not trying to pseudo-shame anyone, as that would be petty and is of no interest to me. However if one does feel shame because of another's opinion or beliefs, that is on them. No one can make you feel anything you don't want to feel. How one reacts to something is entirely in their hands.
The fact that you think you think I'm trying to be cool by being neutral/indifferent/apathetic is a rather odd assertion and could not be further from the truth. And frankly says a whole lot more about you than it does me. It is also clearly demonstrably false that I was being indifferent or apathetic to anything.
I despise the saying, "you do you." Aside fro being extremely infintile, it is about as condescending, dismissive and sarcastic as it comes. And sarcasm is the lowest form of communication.
The problem with those who lean a certain way is that they believe there are no objective truths; that everything is subjective i.e. my truth. Unfortunately that is just not the case. So while I actually do try to put myself in other people's shoes when thinking about life's issues, I maintain that the percentage of a certain sex who game is not something to celebrate on it's face. I don't care who games as long as they are enthusiastic about the medium. Thank you for a relatively civil discourse though. And thank you to Push square for actually allowing people to debate without censorship. It is rare in this day and age and is appreciated.
@Richnj No argument from me there.
@KidBoruto Wasn't sure about a number of them myself, so I did some research.
@Kidfried Thank you, but I was reminded of why I don’t comment here often.
I'm genuinely surprised the number of women gamers is not higher. I'm happy that more women are interested in gaming than ever, be on PS or others platforms because it means gaming audiences is still growing. IMHO, it also means the industry is healthy and is offering enough variety for everyone. On average, for example women tends to prefer visual novels and jrpgs more than men and men tends to prefer fps and sports games more than women. More women in gaming means more variety offered.
That 9% difference is still a big gap statistically speaking though. We're still maybe a decade off a more even split because the grow will come from todays children, not older generations.
I grew up in the late 80s, early 90s and gaming was totally a sausage fest back then. The first time I remember a AAA game that was a big success with women was The Sims in the year 2000.
I think it's hilarious that people judging the "gaming status" of others are usually the type of gamers with the curiosity level of a rock who play 1 or 2 games religiously and nothing else. You are the "filthy casuals" in my eyes lol.
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...