More women continue to show an interest in gaming and gambling. According to research conducted in 2020, women accounted for 50% of all gamers. Meaning the number of women playing is equal to the number of men in Canada.
Studies have been done to find out the sudden motivation. Results show that playing motivations vary according to cultures, even for their male counterparts. Some women play to challenge themselves, while others want a sense of competition. Generally, women play for social reasons and achievement purposes, unlike men who want to pass the time.
Many women organizations seek to improve the gaming industry by ensuring more women are given opportunities in playing and in the workforce and product communities. There are very many female developers on the rise, and their involvement is highly welcome in 2021.
Men hold 84% of executive positions in the gambling industry, and only 24% working in the industry are women. Female representation is still a big problem, and many female professional gamers believe that their gender majorly limits their career progression. 33% of them noted that they had experienced direct harassment or bullying because they were women.
It gets even worse where only 5% of games show female protagonists. Many female characters are being objectified and sexualized, often being portrayed as weak, as a love interest, or needing to be rescued by a male character. However, this percentage has been increased since 2020 to about 18%, which is a step in the right direction. Many gaming companies are also increasing female representation in executive positions and otherwise.
Preference for Slots and Lottery Games
Research shows that women have very different gaming habits from men. Female gamers are more interested in social gaming. It isn’t mostly about the winnings but the interaction. Most situations show that women prefer to play with a group of friends, even if they play different games on slots row.
Their reasons for choosing Slots and Lottery Games are:
- They have bigger payouts in the casino than any other game.
- Women prefer group experiences, thus shying away from strategy games which take away the fun of the shared experience as they demand concentration.
- Slot machines are more visual. Others featuring pop culture franchises for more entertainment.
- Lotteries and slots don’t require a long time investment. Unlike their male counterparts, who can spend most of their time in a casino, women like to pop in and get out. An example is the lottery-operated online poker rooms for online poker Canada.
- These games have few strategy requirements.
Women prefer games of chance while men prefer games of skill, but that does not mean that women don’t understand the odds of games or make good moves and choices in casinos.
Women’s Reaction to Losing
Unlike men that respond to losses angrily and in frustration, to the extent of angrily pounding on tables and machines and being rude to casino staff, women showed sadness and anxiety. The men’s response showed their sense of being territorial, while women’s reactions expressed feelings.
Preferred Games
According to the reasons listed above o women playing socially rather than to portray their prowess, these are the video games they choose in casinos:
- Bejeweled
This is the only game proven to reduce stress by 54%. It is free and available in both web versions and offers downloads as well.
- Brain Age
It provides a mental workout by improvement of memory, thinking quick, and visual recognition skills. Designed by Nintendo, it aims at allowing layers to challenge themselves, a step at a time each day. There are also versions of Sudoku puzzles that assist with de-stressing and refreshing the mind.
- FarmVille
It is in a woman’s nature to nurture and take care of people and things around them. This game became a hit in June of 2009 as it allows players to take care of a virtual farm, raising crops and livestock and bringing them to the market. Sharing their farm’s progress online is said to be appealing to the female market.
- Final Fantasy
This is a favorite among women gamers because, unlike many who sexualize women characters, this one has a lead female character fighting evil forces in the mythical world.
- Flower
This game is designed by a woman, Jenova Chen, and involves playing the wind as it flies through fields collecting flower petals. It doesn’t get more relaxing than that, which is what she aimed for, evoking positive feelings.
- Little Big Planet
This is an intriguing puzzle game where players are allowed to create systems, puzzles and games-within-the-game. There’s also a gaming community where players challenge each other.
- Nancy Drew
These games have been published by HerInteractive and follow the adventure of detective Nancy Drew as she investigates and solves crimes.
- Sims 3
This one is like a soap opera in a box where players get to be the creators. They control the environment of the characters, their relationships, fabulous clothes, and other day-to-day aspects.
These are just but examples as there are many game titles that women enjoy. The theme of the game has to be women-friendly, none degrading for women, and you can be sure to have many female gamers on board.
Author: Adam Lane is a writer an editor at OnlineCasinoHex.ca. He is passionate about online gambling and shares casino industry knowledge with readers. Adam is charged to provide gamblers with safe, reliable, and in-depth casino reviews.
