🎮 Bringing Inclusivity to Video Games
Most video games cater exclusively to men. But one startup is trying to change this. Here's how.
For many of us, video games were our first introduction to the magical digital world.
They were our escape from reality, our refuge on days when our parents didn't let us go out to play.
They were also in many ways essential in developing creativity and problem-solving skills (yes, video games actually help your brain develop).
This magical world has turned into a full-fledged industry now worth almost $300 billion.
In India alone, this industry is set to employ over 40,000 people by this year.
But this world of video games works on an assumption: that most players are boys.
💁♀️ Gender Trouble
For some strange reason, we have stereotypes about the kind of toys girls and boys should have.
Girls get the dolls, while boys get the cars.
Girls get the kitchen sets, while boys get the video games.
And there is no sound basis for this discrimination.
Women love playing video games just as much as men.
In fact, female gamers now make up 45% of the global gamer population.
And this number would be higher if we actually made gaming a better experience for women.
Over 77% of women gamers have claimed that they face harassment online while playing video games. Wondering what harassment?
Well, 70% of these comments are about their skills.
Also, a lot of women do not see themselves represented in video games.
No, we're not saying this. Numbers are.
Only 5% of online games have female leads.
And when games do have female characters, they are scantily clad caricatured versions of women.
This further alienates women from gaming.
What's more?
In the world of gaming, women have wildly different motivations than men.
Studies show that most women play games to get a sense of achievement or to engage socially with others whereas most men play to cope with stress or to pass time.
So, developers need to consider women while creating games or add aspects that women like to existing games.
Okay, ReadOn, we get it but what is the point?
Ignoring half of the world’s population (a total addressable market of $75.8 billion) is not a good idea for this budding industry.
And companies know this. But their way of targeting women gamers seems to be ineffective.
Companies have so far either created “girlie” versions of existing games designed for men or worse – made consoles pink to attract women.
So, what’s the solution?
Several organisations like Women in Games are actively working to reimagine the entire gaming industry so it can serve women better.
And an Indian startup has also taken up this cause.
👩🏫 Creating Games That Women Want
Tuttifrutti Interactive, a game developing company, is focused on creating exactly the kind of games that women want: featuring immersive worlds, emotional storytelling, interactive elements, and a social aspect.
Here, take a look at one of their most recent games which has won several awards:
Interesting, no? They have six other such games in their pipeline currently!
Their goal: become the first female-focused gaming platform in the world.
Supported by Google and Unity, this startup has been ranked as the top 25 investible startups by Invest India.
Okay, but how big is the market for the games it is creating?
The interactive casual puzzle video game market is growing at a CAGR of 40% each year and has a total addressable market of $5.9 billion!
Plus, evidence shows that men also like interactive drama games, so these video games will not alienate half the population (like most existing games).
But, Tuttifrutti is not the only company in this space. It does have a few competitors that make similar interactive drama games, like Wooga, WhaleApp, and others.
However, Tuttifruti is the only company focusing exclusively on female gamers’ needs.
Wondering how exactly Tuttifrutti accomplishes this and what its future plans are?
Join us for an Insider Insights session with Tuttifrutti’s founder Ajish G Habib on May 7 at 7 pm.
Noob’s Corner: Total Addressable Market- This is the total demand for a product or service in the market. It is the amount of revenue a company can possibly generate but this does not mean that it will generate this much because it is not the only company in the market.
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