While the debate has raged for years, it is now official: female players represent the dominant gaming demographic.
According to a study published earlier this year by the Internet Advertising Bureau, 52% of the total gaming audience now consists of female players. This will probably come as a surprise to some, especially those who have a traditional perception of gaming as a pastime for males and students.
In fact, this represents the culmination of a trend that began more than five years ago. As recently as 2012 the rate of female gamers should at 49%, meaning that this demographic was well on its way to market dominance. With the majority of gamers now female, we can even expect this trend to continue for the foreseeable future.
The reason for this is simple, as the leading brands and game developers look to capitalize on evolving player demographics with a more diverse range of narratives and characters. Comic book studio Marvel is at the cutting edge of this drive, as it continues to reinvent existing characters and create new ones to feature in the gaming adventures of tomorrow. Most recently, it has resumed its commitment to promoting and popularizing female superheroes, in a bid to win the heart of increasingly dominant and influential female players.
While Marvel has always recognized the importance of female superheroes, it has intensified its efforts recently. As a result of this, many of the brand’s most popular and keenly anticipated characters are currently female, from Peter Parker’s long-overshadowed girlfriend Spider-Gwen to the first lady of Marvel superheroes Carol Danvers. Even the iconic male character Thor is being reinvented as a woman, much to the shock of traditional comic book fans and avid gamers.
Marvel has also reinvented the Ms. Marvel character as a teenage Muslim girl, in a bid to break down racial and gender stereotypes and reach a wider target audience. This could have a huge impact on the gaming world, and potentially encourage your female players to enter the market. When you consider these developments alongside the impact that online casino sites have had in popularizing superhero themes and attracting female players, it is clear that Marvel will play a pivotal role in changing the behavior and perception of modern-day gamers.
In days gone by, the notion of female superheroes being dominant was fanciful in the extreme. Even the breakthrough of identifiable characters such as Lara Croft did nothing to stem the tide, although this has finally changed in the face of relentless evolution and gradually changing player demographics.
Now a key market player across the comic book, gaming and film industries, Marvel is using its influence to popularize a new and reinvented range of female heroes. All innately human and blessed with characteristics such as strength, courage and honesty, they embody the modern woman and have the potential to drag gaming kicking and screaming into the modern age.
