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There’s been lots of conversation within the gaming community about gender and inclusivity, but little research or discussion about how these issues impact the mobile space. As the world’s largest mobile gaming destination, and with a mission to build for all, Google Play set out to understand whether mobile gaming is truly a welcoming space for everyone and examined the steps we can take to become a more inclusive gaming hub.
We partnered with gaming intelligence provider Newzoo on a quantitative study to understand the experiences and perceptions of female players in the US. Then worked with dozens of game makers, critics, players and academics to contextualize our findings.
While we still have a lot to learn about inclusion in the mobile gaming industry, we hope our initial findings can be the start of an important conversation for women and other underrepresented communities.
A host of cultural norms both inside and outside of the gaming world have contributed to the impression that videogames are predominantly played by men. While this was historically true, it’s no longer the case. Today, with the rise of mobile gaming, more women are playing than ever before.
of mobile gamers are women.
of women aged 10-65 in the US play mobile games.
The smartphone’s ubiquity is ushering in a new era for gaming. It’s now possible to play nearly anywhere at any time. Mobile provides access to a universe of games, all in the palm of your hand.
Smartphone penetration ¹
Women who play mobile games ²
% Women
% Men
% Women
% Men
Even in our own Google Play store, more male-identified characters are featured in store icons than female-identified ones. This imbalance can give players the impression that women have a smaller role than men in this world
Of the top 100 grossing games on Google Play, 44% more of the app icons feature male characters than female characters.
The majority (60%) of women who play mobile games think that 30% or fewer of mobile games are made for women.
The male preference for gameplay within their own gender group may produce exclusionary interactions which trickle down and make female players feel less welcome.
In the console and PC gaming worlds, especially, many female players feel this bias: researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology found that half of female players have actively concealed their gender to the gaming community and their fellow players. ⁴
25% of men who play mobile games agree that “I would spend more time playing mobile games if I knew I was playing with or against players of my own gender” vs. only 10% of women.
Among men who play mobile games the most (10+ hours/week) the number rises to 47%. For women, this desire remains fairly consistent.
The gender imbalance of games, characters, icons and marketing is symptomatic of a larger issue: women are significantly underrepresented in game-making. The industry’s lack of diversity limits its ability to build games that resonate with a wide and diverse audience.
Only 27.8% of the gaming industry is female, transgender or another gender identity.⁵
Only 23% of women feel that there is equal treatment and opportunity for all in the game industry.⁶
And 40% of men feel that there is equal treatment and opportunity for all in the game industry.⁶
- Jen MacLean, Managing Director of the International Game Developers Association.
Despite the fact that women are playing mobile games in unprecedented numbers, they’re less likely than men to embrace their play.
In fact, women are less likely to:
The majority of women play just two or fewer genres, while the majority of men play three or more.
Men talk more frequently about mobile games than women do (44% Men vs. 27% Women).
More men than women pay for mobile games (52% Men; 33% Women).
More men than women feel good/excited/satisfied upon payment of a new game (70% Men; 58% Women) while more women than men feel guilt/regret upon payment (23% Women; 16% Men).
More men than women self-identify as gamers (57% Men; 29% Women).
- Shira Chess, Author of Ready Player Two: Women Gamers and Designed Identity
We believe that mobile gaming has the potential to inspire creativity, build connections between people, and serve as a gateway to new worlds and passions. There’s an opportunity to make mobile gaming more diverse, more inclusive, and more engaging so all players can fully experience these benefits.
Our mission is to make mobile gaming truly for everyone by celebrating and empowering women as players and creators. To do this, we’re committed to improving gender diversity in the following three areas of the mobile gaming world. While moving the needle won’t be easy, we are determined to keep working toward long-term change.
- Jessica Hammer, Assistant Professor at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute/Entertainment Technology Center at CMU
Today, games with male themes and characters monopolize the spotlight. We envision a future full of unique, inclusive stories to play. To do this, we’re shining a spotlight on the multitude of strong female characters in the Google Play Store’s Indie Corner. And to support the creation of more inclusive game stories, we created Infinite Deviation: Games to give up-and-coming game-makers the chance to bring their ideas to life.
Even though 65% of US women play mobile games, there’s a pervasive belief that most players are men, and that when women do play, they’re only interested in one type of game. We aim to correct misconceptions by featuring the diversity of gaming interests and experiences of female players. We’re also working to fight assumptions by spreading the word that (nearly) everybody plays, and we have activations planned throughout 2018 to continue this mission.
Today, women are significantly underrepresented in the technology industry as a whole, and in the gaming industry in particular. To combat this gender gap, it’s critical to get girls excited and aware of future possibilities in these fields. We’re partnering with Girls Make Games to create opportunities for girls to envision, design and develop mobile games. Through Google’s Made With Code, we’re introducing teen girls to computer science, teaching them to develop games, make music, create entertainment, and even design fashion through code. Going forward, we’ll continue to build and scale programs for skills development, career opportunities, and mentorship.
How can you make your games more inclusive? We put together a list of questions for our developer partners to consider.
1. Google analysis based on IDC data.
2. Newzoo Consumer Insights.
3. Google Play Top Grossing Games, November 2017.
4. Kristine Ask & Stine Helena Bang Svendsen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
5. IGDA Diversity in the Game Industry Report, 2016.
6. IGDA Diversity in the Game Industry Report, 2015.
