Author: Mintel Group Ltd.
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Women and Gaming: Incl Impact of COVID-19 - US - July 2020

OVERVIEW
What you need to know 
Key issues covered in this Report
Definition 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
Top takeaways 
Global gaming market overview 
Figure 1: Global gaming revenue, 2015-20
Women drive growth in the US gaming audience 
Figure 2: Share of adults playing video games, by gender, 2018-20
Gender gap closes with mobile gaming
Figure 3: Devices used to play video games, by gender, May 2020
Impact of COVID-19 on women and gaming
Figure 4: Short, medium and long-term impact  of COVID-19 on women and gaming, July 2020
Opportunities and challenges
Out-of-home leisure takes longer to open up, allowing women to more easily keep playing video games
Figure 5: How much women are gaming since COVID-19 outbreak, May 2020
Genre and story should be main points of emphasis 
Figure 6: Important video game features to female gamers – Select items, May 2020
New players bring new opportunities for education 
Figure 7: When players were introduced to gaming, all vs female, May 2020
Toxic environment keeps women from exploring beyond their comfort zones
Women are less likely to watch gaming content
Free content will become more essential
What’s next
THE MARKET – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Gaming market on the rise 
Women drive audience growth in gaming 
Competition heats up for women’s free time
Gender dynamics affect what’s played
GLOBAL GAMING OVERVIEW
Gaming revenue is rising around the world
Figure 8: Global gaming revenue, 2015-20
Mobile gaming generates the most revenue by reaching the largest audience
Figure 9: Global gaming market share, by type of device, 2020
Impact of COVID-19 on women and gaming
Figure 10: Short, medium and long-term impact of COVID-19 on women and gaming, July 2020
COVID-19: US context
WOMEN AND GAMING OVERVIEW
Two thirds of women play video games, driving growth in the gaming audience 
Figure 11: Share of adults playing video games, by gender, 2018-20
Engaged female gamers skew younger, multicultural
Figure 12: Share of women playing video games, by key demographics, May 2020
Gaming is a daily routine 
Figure 13: Frequency of gaming for female gamers, May 2020
Women less drawn to competition 
Figure 14: Reasons to play video games, all vs female, May 2020
MARKET PERSPECTIVE – WOMEN, LEISURE AND TECHNOLOGY
Key takeaway
Gaming faces stiff competition from other in-home entertainment
Figure 15: In-home leisure activities ranked – Any rank, all vs female, August 2019
Comfort and connection make familiar games essential 
Figure 16: Leisure time preferences, all vs female, August 2019
Less free time could limit gaming
Figure 17: Attitudes toward free time, all vs female, August 2019
Digital distrust discourages online socialization… 
Figure 18: Online socializing behaviors, all vs female, August 2019
…and online information exchanges 
Figure 19: Attitudes toward exchanging digital information, all vs female, August 2019
MARKET FACTORS 
Women have played video games more due to COVID-19
Figure 20: How much women are gaming since COVID-19 outbreak, May 2020
Long lives lead female population to skew older 
Figure 21: Female and male population 18 or older, by age, 2019
Gender pay gap reduces female spending power 
Figure 22: Median earnings of full-time, year-round workers, by gender, in inflation-adjusted dollars, 2000-2017
Delayed life events challenge household gaming dynamics 
Figure 23: Median age at first marriage, by gender, 1980-2018
KEY TRENDS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 
Partner with women’s brands 
Work to end harassment and inequality 
Bring women in to the gaming world
WHAT’S HELPING
Women’s health and gaming work together
Figure 24: @bigfishgames NBCF Twitter post, September 2019
Beauty brands can elevate female gamers
Figure 25: @girlgamer Esports Festival post, February 2020
Collective strength brings issues to light
WHAT’S HURTING
The barrier to belonging in the gaming world
Within esports: a lack of gender inclusion
Within gameplay: a need to curb toxicity
Figure 26: @evergreenily Valorant Twitter post, April 2020
Within streaming: a flood of sexual harassment allegations
Stereotypes damage efforts for greater inclusion
WHAT TO WATCH
Safe spaces and female-only leagues break down barriers
Fantasy games emphasize story over violence 
Women will make more games 
Encouraging the next generation to pursue gaming careers
Intersectionality is the next step beyond gender
Partner with other pop culture to introduce new audiences
Figure 27: @insecuregame post, April 2020
THE CONSUMER – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 
Mobile gaming closes the gender gap
New female gamers want games that fit their interests 
Women of different ages play different games 
Genre, story matter the most to women 
Few women gravitate toward gaming content 
A male focus discourages women 
Women need to see themselves as gamers 
DEVICES WOMEN USE TO PLAY GAMES
Key opportunity
Gender gap nonexistent across most gaming devices 
Figure 28: Devices used to play video games, all vs female, May 2020
One third of female gamers only play on mobile devices 
Figure 29: Devices played exclusively, all vs female, May 2020
Perceptions of gaming devices impact where women spend time playing
Xbox and PlayStation: toxic and primarily for men 
Nintendo: fun for the whole family 
Computers and mobile devices: accessible and fun 
Figure 30: Correspondence Analysis – Female gamers’ perceptions of gaming devices, May 2020
HOW FEMALE PLAYERS ARE INTRODUCED TO GAMING 
Key opportunity
Women are more likely to be new to gaming  
Figure 31: When players were introduced to gaming, all vs female, May 2020
Social connections and nostalgia motivate women to try playing
Figure 32: What introduced female players to gaming, May 2020
Gaining new female players means investing in different types of games 
Figure 33: What would convince non-players to start playing video games, May 2020
WHAT GENRES WOMEN PLAY
Key opportunity
Female gaming interests are more focused to a few genres 
Figure 34: Number of gaming genres played, by gender, May 2020
Women more likely to play casual games… 
Figure 35: Gaming genres played, all vs female, May 2020
…but women of different ages play different types of games
Older women will play levels-based games
Figure 36: Gaming genres played by women – Casual, by age, May 2020
Young women gravitate toward action
Figure 37: Gaming genres played by women – Action, by age, May 2020
Key opportunity: story-based games work across middle-aged and young women
Figure 38: Gaming genres played – Story games, by age, May 2020
IMPORTANT VIDEO GAME FEATURES
Key opportunity
Genre and story matter more than gameplay 
Figure 39: Important video game features, all vs female, May 2020
Young women seek compelling stories and characters
Figure 40: Important video game features for women, by age, May 2020
In their words: women want games that represent them
TURF analysis: reputation and story increase reach substantially
Figure 41: TURF Analysis – Important game features, May 2020
HOW WOMEN WATCH GAMING CONTENT
Key opportunity
Gaming content faces tough competition from other entertainment 
Figure 42: Video content watched, all vs female, May 2020
Women are less likely to see a future for themselves in professional gaming
Figure 43: Attitudes toward esports, all vs female, May 2020
Players and games can be promoted to gain engagement
Figure 44: Why women watch gaming content, May 2020
Gameplay and game viewing can integrate to get new viewers
Figure 45: Why women don’t watch gaming content, May 2020
FEMALE REPRESENTATION IN GAMING
Key opportunity
Nearly half of gamers say gaming should be more inclusive 
Figure 46: Attitudes toward female representation and safe spaces, all vs female, May 2020
Male focus could be discouraging women
Figure 47: Attitudes toward male influence on gaming, all vs female, May 2020
ATTITUDES TOWARD GAMING
Key opportunity
One third of women are more dedicated players than last year 
Figure 48: Attitudes toward gaming dedication, May 2020
In their words: women’s perceptions of a gamer
Toxic online gaming environment discourages female social gaming
Figure 49: Attitudes toward online gameplay, May 2020
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES AND ABBREVIATIONS
Data sources
Sales data
Consumer survey data
Consumer qualitative research
Abbreviations and terms
Abbreviations
Terms
APPENDIX – TREND DRIVERS
Figure 50: Mintel Trend Drivers and Pillars
APPENDIX – TURF ANALYSIS  
Methodology
Figure 51: TURF Analysis – Important game features, May 2020
APPENDIX – CORRESPONDENCE ANALYSIS 
Methodology
Figure 52: Female gamers’ perceptions of gaming devices, May 2020
APPENDIX – THE CONSUMER 
Figure 53: Devices used to play video games, by female vs all, October 2018-December 2019
Figure 54: Attitudes toward gaming, by female vs all, October 2018-December 2019

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