Overcoming gender barriers: Challenges for girls in gaming

The gaming culture is highly gendered. Even if girls spend money to acquire the right gamer identity, they are not always accepted.

“Gamer identity is a social identity; there's a certain type of player who can call themselves gamers,” says Kamilla Knutsen Steinnes.

(Photo: Alena Darmel / Pexels)

Kjersti Lassen COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER

Presented by: Oslo Metropolitan University

Published 18 March 2025 - 09:01

“Gaming culture has deep-seated gender perceptions that women are not as good players as men,” says researcher Kamilla Knutsen Steinnes, who is writing a PhD on consumption in video games.

The stereotypical gamer

In a new study, she examined how gamer identity is formed and what spending and consumption patterns mean for being ‘in.’ Gender and video games have been extensively researched, but Steinnes found a knowledge gap when she looked at how consumption affects how players create their identities as gamers.

Kamilla Knutsen Steinnes is a researcher at OsloMet's Consumption Research Norway (SIFO).

“Gamer identity is a social identity; there's a certain type of player who can call themselves gamers,” she says.

The stereotypical gamer is male, heterosexual, and barricades himself in his room with soda and junk food. Gaming started as a niche activity embraced by young boys but has grown into a massive global industry.

However, many still hold onto this perception of how it all began.

“The identity is often linked to male players who play shooters, such as Counter-Strike. And there are clear expectations that they spend money on equipment and appearance–skins,” says Steinnes.

‘Pink games’ for girls

Consumption in games includes everything from hardware, software, bandwidth, and equipment to in-game purchases. Examples of these include skins, battle passes, and various game currencies.

The gaming industry is highly commercialised and gender-segregated, often targeting young men. In recent years, there has been increasing marketing aimed at girls, typically referred to as 'pink games' in the research literature.

The gaming industry distinguishes between ‘core’ games, which often appeal to boys, and 'casual' games, like The Sims and mobile games, which are played more by girls.

Gamer identity is linked to core games, and it can be harder for girls than boys to be accepted as legitimate gamers. Even if female players have all the right equipment and are skilled players, that is not always enough.

“‘Correct’ consumption cannot always compensate for the fact that they are female players, and they may, for example, experience exclusion if they use voice chat,” she says.

Some girls enjoyed the pink games but did not call themselves gamers even though they played for several hours every day.

A positive and social culture

Steinnes interviewed 41 girls and boys aged 10 to 24 – an age group that consumes a lot of video games. She also played with them and observed them while they gamed. She believes that the gaming culture is primarily positive and social.

“Both boys and girls have had negative experiences, but it's rare. Most players make friends and learn a lot through games,” she says.

Gaming culture is a young culture that is constantly evolving. It started as a male-dominated sphere without much censorship. Now, girls have entered the scene, and many have had to moderate themselves as a result. Many games have implemented guidelines to counteract discrimination.

“The gaming culture has improved a lot. Well-known games, such as League of Legends, have implemented measures to counteract gender discrimination,” says Steinnes.

Changes in the Industry

She sees significant signs of change in the gaming industry. Previously, it was difficult for female game developers to get jobs, but now there is an emphasis on hiring female game developers.

“Equality may still have a way to go in the gaming world, but I think we will continue to see a lot of progress in this area going forward,” says the researcher.

Global statistics show a great diversity of players, with nearly half of the world's gamers being women.

Reference:

Steinnes, K.K. ''Gamers' Crafted by Consumption: The Influence of Consumption on Gender Identities in Video Games', in Jacobsen et al. (Ed.) 'Consumers and Consumption in Comparison (Comparative Social Research, Vol. 37)', Emerald Publishing Limited, 2024. DOI: 10.1108/S0195-631020240000037008 (Summary)