More than half of female gamers have faced bullying

Game publisher and developer Astrum Entertainment conducted a survey among over 9,000 gamers and found out how they feel about gender stereotypes in gaming. Approximately 7,800 men and 1,200 women took part in the survey. The results show that more than half of female gamers have faced bullying at least once in their lives, while about 50% of men believe that bullying of female players does not exist today. At the same time, every fifth female player dreams of working in game development.

 

According to a research by Astrum Entertainment, only 8% of men believe that the amount of bullying female gamers face has become higher over the past five years, while more than 15% of women are confident of this. Gamers claim that the most common reason for bullying is the desire to assert oneself at the expense of other players (more than 44%), followed by gender stereotypes (15%), and other players’ desire to make jokes (14%). At the same time, about 39% of players do not pay attention to gender stereotypes and only one in five believes they are still relevant today. About 14% of men say that female gamers have lower gaming skills than male gamers, while only 7% of women agree with that.

About 13% of women point out that male gamers treat them condescendingly and constantly make fun of them during games, while 5% admit that men insult and humiliate them when playing. This has a negative impact on women’s emotional state: 38% say that they experience anxiety and discomfort after cases of bullying, 32% get angry and try to stand up for themselves, and 19% get upset and stop playing. However, the whole picture is not that negative: every third woman believes that male players treat her as an equal. Also, for half of the female respondents video games are a way to relax and get away from daily routine.

Most gamers of either sex have a positive view of the role of women in the game development industry. Thus, 40% of players say that the presence of women in the development team would benefit the game, and one in four say that they would be glad if a woman took part in the development of their favorite game. In addition, about 35% of men and 39% of women say they would play a game made by an all-female team if they liked the story and description.

The majority (81%) of gamers of either sex believe that women can achieve success in gaming through professionalism. Moreover, every fifth woman says that a career in game development is her dream, and 45% of the female respondents point out that they would consider working in the industry. Among the obstacles that prevent these plans from coming true, female gamers point out a lack of knowledge and instructions on how to get into the industry (29%), as well as condescending attitude from male colleagues (5%).

See the infographics of the survey results here.

 

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Astrum Entertainment is one of the biggest Russian developers and publishers of PC and mobile games. The company's portfolio includes more than 20 games, including such hits as Warface, Lost Ark, Perfect World, Allods Online, and Atomic Heart. Astrum Entertainment works with products of different genres: MMORPG, shooters, strategies, and others. The company's highly professional team consists of pioneers of Russian game development.