Women & Video Game Design

Women make up 40 percent of video game players, from online fantasy games like World of Warcraft to arcade-style games like the Super Mario series of games. With such a large percentage of the game playing market being attributed to women, some say that there is a lack of consideration as to what a woman wants in a video game.

Its common to see female characters in video games wearing clothing that accentuates their bodies, and this is largely attributed to the large male presence in the video game design industry. While the aesthetics of gaming may not stop women from playing their favorite games and equipping their female characters with weaponry that rivals that of their male counterparts, there is evidence to the point that women may want more than to be considered eye candy, even in the video game world. Some of this comes from the line of thought that video games are an adolescent boy's realm, but also because there are far less women employed in video game design than men.

In order to rise to the occasion and help diversify video games, several companies and organizations are even offering scholarships to women who are interested in video game design. Sony is awarding up to $10,000 to women pursuing a degree in video game design and production and the ESA Foundation is offering several $3,000 scholarships to women and minorities pursuing their degrees in the video game arts.

Video games are no longer just for boys and women are increasingly becoming a market for games, online and off. The need for women to not only play these games, but help design them, is growing at a rapid pace. Companies are taking notice of this market by offering scholarships and other incentives to women who want to do more than fight mystical magicians, but to those who want to be a part of the next generations of video game releases.

Labels: video game design, women