Male-Dominated Game Genres Could Increase Sales by Adding Female Characters, Suggests Expert

Blizzard's FPS Overwatch, which has numerous female player character options, is twice as popular with female gamers than other FPSes

QuanticFoundry, a top game industry analytics firm, just published some interesting survey data on the importance of female protagonists in games. Unsurprisingly, female gamers put a high value on having a female character option; perhaps surprisingly, a majority of male gamers put value on the option as well, with 1 in 3 surveyed saying a female character option is “very” or “extremely” important to them, and another 1 in 3 saying it’s “somewhat” important. (See chart below.)

This report should encourage game developers to add a female player option, even though doing so costs additional development time and money. As QuanticFoundry co-founder Nick Yee puts it, “In terms of cost benefit, there's a higher payoff if the game already emphasizes fantasy and story and if female participation is traditionally lower in the genre (in terms of new player acquisition).”

In other words, Nick is suggesting that game genres which don't typically appeal to females have an even greater motivation to add female protagonists. So not, for example, casual match 3 and puzzle games which already have a large female player base, but male-dominated games like tactical/FPS shooters and MOBAs:

Game genres by female players -- data by QuanticFoundry from this report

“Because games that have high female ratios have figured out how to attract female gamers already to some extent,” Nick explains, “so the potential opportunity is larger where this hasn't been tapped yet. Like the Overwatch example. And less competition for those new female gamers, so there's a larger ’first mover takes all’ effect.”

As I wrote last month, the first person shooter Overwatch puts a strong emphasis on female player characters -- and is twice as popular with females as other FPS titles. That means millions of extra players, and hundreds of millions of extra dollars for its developer.

Comments

[Pulsar]

For what I understand, most males who play female characters do that for the same reason of Tomb Raider: they like to see sexy girls on their screens.
Adding a female character would attract some female gamers maybe, but I don't think so many. If you don't like the genre it still won't be your thing. For example, I don't like the FPS genre, or just shooting, blow up things, killing, even less in an high competitive multiplayer game. Visuals and sad colors don't help too. Some guy would think it's super cool and girls that don't like it are wimpy, while some girl would feel it empty, sad, soulless, and those guys mindless unimaginative gorillas that just go around to kill and destroy anything on their path (no offense to real gorillas, they aren't like that). If I don't like the game, a female character won't convince me to play it anyway. When I saw my brother playing some action-RP game it was different: their characters have free (in the sense of choices) social interactions with other character, a story that you can influence, an involving atmosphere, you don't have to kill anything moves, but you can be stealth too, etc. It is still not entirely my thing, but if they didn't have a female character option, I'd have been less interested in trying it out.
It's a good idea to have a female character, but it isn't the only factor. It won't double the players in shooting games, but it will increase them like Overwatch, which also has more appealing colors etc.

[RudeOnion]

To the poster above, what about women who are already playing those style games? I love playing sci-fi shooters - it's my favorite genre, alongside 3rd person action/adventure. But if a game features only women who are wearing metal bikinis, sporting physically impossible racks or as damsels to be saved, I'm not interested in it.

Having female characters isn't the only factor, of course. I'm not into Overwatch regardless, because it's not really my thing. But it's A factor, which is the point of this article.

[Ciaran Laval]

"perhaps surprisingly, a majority of male gamers put value on the option as well, with 1 in 3 surveyed saying a female character option is “very” or “extremely” important to them, and another 1 in 3 saying it’s “somewhat” important."

This isn't really surprising at all. People like choice, most of all they just want to play a game, one they hope will be fun.

"As I wrote last month, the first person shooter Overwatch puts a strong emphasis on female player characters -- and is twice as popular with females as other FPS titles. That means millions of extra players, and hundreds of millions of extra dollars for its developer."

You may want to check out Cecilia D'Anasatasio's view on Overwatch, getting extra female players is one part of the equation, keeping them in the face of horrendous abuse is quite another challenge and Blizzard have work to do there.

[Pulsar]

RudeOnion, as you, I won't be interested in those as well, same for fantasy/medieval warriors in high heels and armors that "protect" just your nipples.
The point of the article is that "male-dominated games like tactical/FPS shooters and MOBA" can attract more female gamers by adding female playable characters - and it's mentioned Overwatch and the extra money for the developer. The article doesn't say that there aren't women (me neither), but that there is only a small percentage, so women that are already playing them isn't the point, the point is to increase those little percentages.
My point is that adding female playable characters is only a factor, and that alone won't attract so much, it will increase the players just to some extent, there are other factors that helps too.

[Pulsar]

Ciaran Laval, I 100% agree with you!

[Wagner J Au]

"You may want to check out Cecilia D'Anasatasio's view on Overwatch"

Agreed, she's great! And the first NWN article on Overwatch is in that Kotaku post she wrote. :)

[FreightTrainTX]

I think the question is whether he would still have that finding if he controlled for other variables, such as level of harassment. It wouldn't surprise me if the games that already have the female characters also have lower harassment, but then you have the chicken and the egg question. That is, what is the relationship between female player base, character gender availability, and harassment; is one causing the others, is it a chain reaction, or is something completely different causing all three. I asked Yee whether this differentiated between online and offline games, and he responded negatively.