There’s a bit of a debate on what games appeal to what gender. The stereotype is that most men prefer edgy, violent things like first-person shooters, whereas women tend to prefer the cutesy, simple or social titles that come with most casual games. And, according to new data from analytics and marketing firm deltaDNA, they may be right.
Or are they?
First, a look at the data.
The data deltaDNA sent to Touch Arcade, which you can view below, shows a huge divide between gender. In the broad sense, males tend to lean towards action and strategy, whereas women tend to lean towards puzzle and social casino games.
Taking a more specific look at mobile gaming genres, which you can view in the table below, men seem to heavily prefer the FPS genre, role playing games, fantasy sports and poker, whereas women seem to heavily prefer hidden object games, match-three games and social slots games. The numbers are a little more even when it comes to the infinite runner genre.
So that answers that question, right?
Not quite.
As Touch Arcade questions, it may be possible there is a “chicken or the egg” dynamic going on here. It’s possible that men and women prefer their respective genres; but it’s also possible that marketing has been so focused on preconceived perceptions that men and women were destined to follow these gender trends. For example, both men and women enjoy casino games according to the data, but men prefer poker, whereas women prefer slots. Is it because they just generally do? Or is it because marketing has targeted men for poker and women for slots based on prior real-life casino trends?
There’s also the problem of variety. Are FPSs all made in a way that doesn’t appeal to typical female tastes? Would eschewing bloody and gritty war FPSs in favor of puzzle FPSs change how much women enjoy the genre? Could social games involving fantasy sports draw in more men? Could social world-building games appeal to women?
According to previous data provided by Flurry Mobile, women spend more money and time on games, and are more loyal than male gamers. According to data provided by EEDAR, women also outnumber men on consoles and handhelds. Ignoring or narrowing the female demographic to a small range of genres is bad for business. It will only hurt the industry in the end. And keeping men and women separate in their respective genres only encourages stagnation. No growth. It works, for now, but it can’t do much better.
So perhaps this is a sign for developers: try branching out.
In the EEDAR study, gender equality was particularly strong when gaming experiences were most accessible and varied. So the answer to creating a more interesting and booming game industry may be in combining genres and experimenting more with content. The longer the industry is divided, the longer the industry will only make half as much potential money as it can. The more diverse it is, the more developers can rely on both genders to be an active part of the consumer base.
Sure, it’s not that easy. When it comes down to it, developers and especially publishers are looking to make games that make money. And the easiest way to do that is to stick to what’s worked so far and make more of it. But there could be a whole untapped audience waiting to be lured in by the right ideas, if only someone would make them.
Sources: Gamasutra, Touch Arcade, Flurry Mobile, and Games Industry