Female gamers have increased 

Sorry boys, when it comes to gaming, it is time to move on over! The ladies are ready to take over the gaming industry! Gaming, which was once a male-dominated pastime, is now seeing an increase in female players. 

In Asia alone, there is research showing that the female player rate is growing much larger than that of the male gamer population.

When it comes to Asia's key market, including China, India, and Japan, women have been leveling the playing field. Considering that Asia is known for the global capital of video games, which accounts for almost 48% of the world's total gaming revenue, women would be the top contributors.

According to research done by Google, Female gamers have grown by 19% since last year. Google's Asia Pacific Marketing manager Rohini Bhushan stated, "Among the millions of gamers joining the ranks every year, females have been a huge catalyst for growth."

Google goes on to explain that since their partnership with the Niko Partners market research team, in 2019, Female gamers have increased to a whopping 38% of the 1.33 billion of the Asian gaming community.

In China, female gamers account for 45% of the gaming population, while for other areas such as South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia, they make up 40% of the gaming population.

According to Matt Brocklehurst, the head of apps, partnerships, and platform marketing for Google Asia Pacific, In Asia, the growth of gamers using mobile phones has increased significantly. Matt stated, "More and more female gamers are drawn to the fun, flexibility, and freedom that mobile gaming affords. This is especially the case in Asia, where mobiles are the primary internet-enabled device for many people."  

Gaming as a lucrative business

Gaming itself has become very lucrative. It is not only for companies that make video games such as Activision Blizzard and EA, but it can also be very profitable for the players who participate in competitive online games e-sports.

Some top female esports players have earned at least 20 million and more, from a combination of sponsorships, prize money, and endorsements. These players are often viewed as critical influencers considering that they have millions of followers that watch them play through live streaming.

In Asia alone, female gamers make up many gaming teams and leagues. These female teams are making a positive impact on the world stage. The female Esports Leauge which is a regional gaming circuit that helps boost the female representation in esports.

Last year the mobile communications firm Singtel provided sponsorship to the female Esports Leauge. Cindy Tan, head of marketing for Singtel, stated "We aim to raise the visibility of female gamers and support their professional growth as part of our efforts to create a more inclusive environment, and enable everyone to come together and pursue their passion for gaming."     

Amanda Lim, a professional gamer at the age of 25, got into the world of online gaming to bond with her brother and uncle. She said, "That's when I fell in love with gaming. Female gamers are less well-known, but I think that in time that will change as more of us start playing. We can be as strong as males."

Amanda Lim plays for the We.Baeters, which is an all-female team that is spread across Malaysia and Singapore.

Females are not the target demographic.

Reia Ayunan, an ex-professional gamer, played role-playing games such as Battle Royale for about 6 hours per day, which is about the same as an average workday for some people. Reia's live stream garners viewers from Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. 

She said that she has noticed that more female players are live-streaming online. She stated, "While there are some leagues working towards equality in the pro scene, society still assumes that women/girls don't like playing video games. Therefore we're not the target demographic of the gaming industry." When she was a professional gamer, she earned around $2,800 a month, mostly from sponsors. Recently, Reia was hired by Ubisoft. Now she creates game content aimed at attracting more females.  

Valerie Ong, a 19-year-old student that lives in Singapore, plays between three to seven hours a day, which all depends on if she is at school or on break.

Valerie said, "It was a real eye-opener as it was heavily male-dominated and my friend was actually the only girl that competed. It was really cool and inspirational to watch her play as she could outplay many of her opponents and actually carried her team in many matches." She said this after she went to support her best friend at a national competition and noticed that she was the only female. After that, she started to get into playing Call of Duty.

One thing that attracts Valerie to online playing is the whole social aspect; gamers can play with fellow players from around the world. To this, Valerie said, "I play with other people online, which makes it super fun as we can joke around with one another while playing." Honestly, sometimes these friends that you make online can end up being some of your best friends, even though you never physically meet.

The dark side 

Even though females have made great strides to become recognized as gamers, there are still obstacles and dark obstacles. Female players have been getting harassed online. Reia added, "I was turned into memes and even was a victim of sexual harassment online. Once you go public and you get noticed, there will always be people hating on you, finding faults and mistakes. The gaming community can be very toxic."

Whether you are a Female gamer or a Male gamer, experts suggest that when you create an online account and username, never include personal information. Do not include real names, age, location, or anything that can track you down.