Why WomenGamers.Com
By The Staff

Article Discussion Forum

For Women Only?
Women Gamers Exist!
Gaming Industry Not Meeting Our Needs
WG's Goals

For Women Only?
First, a few words about our name. Are we a site for WOMEN gamers only? No! WomenGamers.Com welcomes all types of gamers: female, male, young, old, with a passion for many different kinds of games. Our ultimate aim is to establish an environment where women gamers can be integrated with the rest of the gaming community. Unfortunately, in many ways the current gaming scene discourages and/or ignores female gamers, and thus we believe it's necessary to create a female-friendly gaming space. We believe it's time that female preferences and opinions are taken into account in the industry. We also believe in the necessity of providing in-depth, accurate information about gaming and game contents to gamers, and to those who have the responsibility of buying games for their families. Eventually, we hope that the true breadth and complexity of the gaming community will be taken into account in the industry. However, we have a ways to go together before that vision is realized.

Women Gamers Exist!
There are many, many women who love video games, play video games, and buy video games. According to IDSA, women make up 43% of all PC gamers and 35% of console gamers-and our numbers are rising. And women gamers are more likely to play online games (53%) than male gamers (46%). Women play fast-paced action and adventure games online with friends, enjoy Jeopardy and backgammon online after work to relax, compete in hardcore competitive gaming tournaments, play with their kids' game consoles, and create their own civilizations in Populous on their computers at home. The idea that video games are "boys toys" is clearly a myth. What does this mean? This means that women are a huge buying force in the gaming/online entertainment industry-even though they are not being adequately taken into account by the industry. Women will spend a lot of money this year on games: they buy for themselves, for their families, and for their partners and friends. Women gamers are here to play, and here to stay.

Gaming Industry Not Meeting Our Needs

Despite the growing female market, the gaming industry is not meeting women's needs. The ratio of male to female characters appearing in games is abysmal. When females do appear, they are often portrayed in sexist and overtly misogynistic ways. Although video game companies have started to include more female characters in their games, many of these female characters continue to be created according to traditional gender stereotypes. Violent games with hypermasculine themes that are devoid of positive representations of women continue to dominate the market. When we go online searching for game-related fun and information, we find that the majority of gaming websites cater to a young male population, and are just more of the same testosterone-driven environments. There are a few gender-neutral and female-focused gaming sites, which are an important part of the gaming community. However, most existing gaming sites focus on action and role-playing games, thereby leaving a large portion of the female gaming market out of the loop. It is currently very difficult to find information, recommendations, and discussion of all game genres online.

WG's Goals
This is where WomenGamers.com comes in. Our mission is twofold: first, to provide a fun, dynamic online gaming site that is female-friendly and caters to the interests and needs of different types of woman gamer. This means that we will cover all game genres, so if your passion is Blackjack, You Don't Know Jack, blowing Jack away in Quake, or buying a game for your daughter Jackie, we've got something for you-in an environment free of gender-based harassment. Our gaming news, reviews, previews, interviews, discussion forums, chats, contests and giveaways should keep you coming back for more.

Second, we will serve as a platform to both disseminate information about games from an informed, socially-conscious, female-friendly perspective, and to gather information from you about your gaming preferences, opinions, concerns, and ideas for the future. We can not only help you to find the right games for yourself and your loved ones, but we will be actively soliciting your input on the games and the gaming industry. You will be able to rate games and female characters, post your opinions, and review books on the industry.

With your help, we hope to have a blast playing games-- and at the same time, educate and influence the gaming industry itself so that the myriad of female voices is heard.