why are there so few women in esports?

Summary

The video delves into the complex reasons behind the underrepresentation of women in esports. Despite a significant interest in gaming and esports among women, their numbers remain low in professional settings. The video discusses societal stereotypes, marketing biases, and the prevalent culture of misogyny as primary barriers. It highlights how women's sports have thrived with proper marketing and support, a model that could benefit female gamers. Stereotype threat and a lack of confidence compounded by harassment are additional challenges women face. The creator calls for enhanced support and equal representation in esports.

Highlights

• Misogyny and stereotypes contribute to the low presence of women in esports. 💢
• Women are less marketed to in gaming, affecting their participation levels. 🎮
• Women's sports can succeed when given equal support and marketing, suggesting potential for esports. 🏆
• Female gamers often quit due to harassment and stereotype threats. 😟
• A call to action for equal representation and support in esports is emphasized. 🚀

Key Takeaways

• Women's underrepresentation in esports is multifaceted and not just about numbers. 🤔
• Misogyny and stereotype threats play significant roles in discouraging female participation. 🚫
• Proper marketing and investment in women's esports can mirror success seen in women's traditional sports. 📈
• Female gamers often face harassment, impacting their confidence and career longevity. 🛑
• Organizations stand to benefit from striving towards equal representation in esports. 🌈

Overview

The video begins by acknowledging the visibility of women in esports and quickly transitions into discussing why there are so few. While societal assumptions suggest women are less interested or capable, the creator argues that deeply ingrained stereotypes and self-fulfilling prophecies discourage many women from pursuing careers in professional gaming. The analysis critiques the lack of statistical evidence backing these stereotypes but highlights anecdotal experiences common in gaming culture.

Marketing is another crucial factor discussed in the video. The creator compares the growth of women's traditional sports with potential in esports, noting that visibility and support can significantly boost participation and success. However, video games historically target male demographics, leaving women less encouraged to engage or aim for professional levels. The video emphasizes that changes in marketing strategies could lead to better representation.

Furthermore, the video examines the role of biological assumptions and competitive motivations, debunking myths that women are inherently less competitive. Studies show women perform just as well when given equal chances and that their drive often increases with shared rewards. Yet, persistent harassment and lack of confidence, fueled by stereotype threats, lead many women to exit the competitive scene prematurely. The video ends with a strong call to dismantle misogynistic culture and establish equal opportunities in esports.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction The chapter 'Introduction' explores the gender disparity in professional esports, highlighting the scarcity of female players who are signed and salaried by professional organizations. It touches on common perceptions discussed in comment sections and Reddit threads, suggesting that these explanations are overly simplistic and that the reality is more complex. The chapter sets the scene for equipping readers with stronger arguments to understand and engage in discussions about the gender gap in esports.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Disclaimer and Scope The chapter titled 'Disclaimer and Scope' discusses the underrepresentation of women in the esports industry. Despite the low numbers of women, it acknowledges that many have made significant breakthroughs, not only as players but also in roles such as broadcast talent, coaches, observers, and managers. The chapter emphasizes that the discussions are not to overshadow these achievements but to bring them to light and underscore their significance.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Underrepresentation in Esports The chapter addresses the issue of underrepresentation in esports, specifically focusing on women and gender minorities such as non-binary and transgender players. The author acknowledges their personal experience as both a gamer and traditional sports player, and highlights that the struggles faced are not exclusively a women's issue but pertain broadly to marginalized gender gamers. The overarching goal is to create a more inclusive and comfortable gaming environment for all demographics wishing to participate in esports.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Statistical Discrepancies The chapter titled 'Statistical Discrepancies' explores the challenges women face in Esports. It begins with a discussion on why there are fewer women in Esports, supported by anecdotal evidence rather than statistical data. A prevalent belief among many gamers is that fewer women play video games, particularly at a high level, though this is often skewed by female gamers who conceal their identities to evade harassment.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Parallel to Women's Sports The chapter 'Parallel to Women's Sports' discusses the disparity between the numbers of female gamers and female Esports professionals. While genres like first-person shooters and multiplayer online battle arenas traditionally have more male players, this doesn't fully explain the disproportionate number of female Esports professionals compared to female gamers overall. The chapter challenges the assumption that fewer female gamers directly results in fewer female Esports professionals, highlighting that even though women may represent a significant portion of the gaming community, this is not reflected proportionally in the professional sphere.
• 02:30 - 03:30: Marketing Towards Women The chapter explores the current state of female interest and participation in professional gaming. It notes that a substantial percentage of women are interested in Esports, yet the professional scene does not reflect this interest level. One proposed solution to increase female representation in professional gaming is by encouraging more women to participate in gaming and Esports. However, the chapter also recognizes that simply increasing participation does not solve the issue of disproportionate representation and suggests that other underlying factors need to be explored and addressed.
• 03:30 - 04:30: Biological Differences and Competitiveness The chapter discusses the significant developments in women's sports, especially focusing on women's collegiate basketball and volleyball. The 2023 March Madness Tournament achieved record viewership, surpassing some NBA regular-season games, driven by notable players like Caitlyn Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Beckers. Additionally, women's collegiate volleyball set a new attendance record with 92,000 fans in August 2023, and the sport is experiencing major growth in participation.
• 04:30 - 05:30: Stereotype Threat The chapter 'Stereotype Threat' discusses the evolving landscape of women's sports, highlighting a significant projection that women's sports will surpass $1 billion in revenue with the upcoming 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Key factors contributing to this growth include increased media visibility, support from major networks, and sponsorships from corporations like Nike. Notably, individual personalities, such as Caitlyn Clark, also play a crucial role in attracting audiences; however, their success is bolstered by systemic backing. This counters the outdated stereotype that women's sports were historically unpopular due to perceived lower skill levels.
• 05:30 - 06:30: Misogyny in Gaming Culture The chapter titled 'Misogyny in Gaming Culture' explores the disparities in marketing and funding between male and female sports, specifically mentioning the success of women like Caitlyn Clark when given equal opportunities. The discussion then transitions into the realm of video games, analyzing historical advertisements. The narrative suggests that, historically, video game marketing often overlooks women as a target audience, reflecting a broader culture of exclusion and sexism within the industry.
• 06:30 - 07:00: Conclusion The conclusion chapter discusses the recent inclusion of women in video game advertisements and how this has been a slow process with many franchises still targeting male players. This lack of representation is highlighted as a key reason why women engage less with video games, emphasizing the powerful impact of marketing. The chapter also touches on the controversy surrounding female-only leagues, underscoring their significance in promoting the inclusion and investment in women gamers, as exemplified by initiatives like 'game changers' that focus on creating dedicated platforms and visibility for women in gaming.

why are there so few women in esports? Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 whether you're a casual fan of Esports or a DieHard one or if you've never even heard of them before but know about video games and their broader culture you're probably aware of the fact that among professional meaning salaried and signed to an organization video game players a minute fraction of them identify as female comment sections and Reddit threads will be quick to tell you why video essay over question answered except as I'd hope you can imagine it's a bit more complicated than that but for those of us who encounter these people on the regular and wish they had a solid argument prepared or
• 00:30 - 01:00 even for those curious on why this phenomenon exists let's talk about why women are so underrepresented on the orts stage Stop like most Stellar arguments this one is going to start with a few disclaimers namely that while there are few women in the Esports industry there aren't zero in fact many women have broken through the barriers we're about to talk about and not just as players but as broadcast Talent coaches observers managers and more none of what I put forth here has meant to diminish those accomplishments and in fact it should only serve to highlight
• 01:00 - 01:30 their achievements more second quick disclaimer though I use the term women in this video the truth is that any demographic budsis gendered men struggles to see adequate representation among professional Esports players and most of the problems I outline here are faced by non-binary transgender and other marginalized gender Gamers as well my research focus is specifically on bringing women into the game based on my own personal experiences as a video gamer and a traditional sports player but it is undeniably an important cause to solve these issues not just for women but for anybody hoping to be comfortable in a gaming space with those out of the
• 01:30 - 02:00 way let's get started with the main reason why there are less women in Esports a reason that me and many Reddit users actually agree on worth noting that this idea that many gamers have the perception that few women play video games especially at a high level comes from anecdotal experience and isn't rooted in statistical analysis or surveying and tends to be skewed due to the tendency of female Gamers to hide their identities for masquerade as men to avoid harassment that being said video games on average especially the games
• 02:00 - 02:30 that tend to make good Esports titles like firstperson shooter games or multiplayer online battle arenas do tend to have much greater male populations than female it follows then that with less women Gamers there would be less female Esports professionals video essay over question answered except once again it is not that simple because when you look at proportions it doesn't add up no matter what figure you use to represent the amount of female gamers in a given sample they never near the figure we see of salary e horse professionals by gender despite 30% of email respondents
• 02:30 - 03:00 to the state of online gaming report stating that they were interested in a professional gaming career in a different statista survey measuring Esports interest by gender 14% of surveyed females responded that they were at least casual fans of Esports so the numbers are there as is the interest meaning that women's smaller population of Gamers can't be the sole reason for that makeup of professionals one solution on how to grow this number would of course be to get more women involved in video games and Esports but even then that doesn't address the disproportionality so let's talk about why that is
• 03:00 - 03:30 it's been a big year for women's Sports women's Collegiate basketball Guided by the star power of Caitlyn Clark Angel ree Paige Beckers and their corresponding millions of dollars of nil deals has reached record viewership during the 2023 March Madness Tournament with some showdowns drawing more viewership than regular season NBA games for example women's Collegiate volleyball set a new attendance record at 92,000 fans in August of 2023 and is seeing major increases in partic IP
• 03:30 - 04:00 ation at the middle and high school levels with the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics on the horizon deoe projects that for the first time and in a 300% increase in its valuation 3 years ago women's sports are projected to Eclipse $1 billion in total revenue but what accounts for this chain having media personalities to root for certainly helps but Caitlyn Clark alone didn't bring 18 million viewers to the NCAA Championship she needed the support of major networks broadcast teams and corporations like Nike backing her up people used to say that women's sports were unpopular because the women were bad but the second their events were
• 04:00 - 04:30 given the same treatment marketing and funding as men they drew in record numbers it's crazy not everyone can be Caitlyn Clark in the Iowa Haw but it goes to show that when you put in the right marketing the viewership will follow but what does this have to do with video games Beyond me wanting to put women's basketball in the video let's take a look at some video game advertisements throughout time admittedly these are cherry-picked examples but even those lacking overt sexism in the 20th century and early 2000s tend to have one thing in common women are typically not the target
• 04:30 - 05:00 audience only recently have we seen the inclusion of women in video game advertisements at any large scale and even then some franchises remain entirely devoted to their male player bases anyway anyway this is a major reason for why women play video games less they simply aren't marketed towards us and marketing is a very powerful tool the idea of female only leagues is controversial but what they represent is more important than who is and who isn't allowed to participate leaks like game changers show a concentrated effort into the marketing and investment in the idea of women and eort and provide a stage
• 05:00 - 05:30 for already successful women to make their Mark hopefully in an environment free from the sorts of harassment they receive in other spaces too in short marketing and investment is a powerful tool and aspiring female Esports professionals can benefit from corporations gaming companies and Esports leagues acknowledging their potential and giving them a shot especially under the guidance of positive representation we thought I was done talking about Caitlyn Clark but she's here again there's no telling what kinds of viewership and therefore what kinds of Revenue these events can bring in so games aren't marketed towards women and there aren't many design
• 05:30 - 06:00 opportunities for them but who's to say they wouldn't blow the chance once they got there after all women and men are biologically different who's to say the biological Advantage men have in traditional Sports does he carry over to the digital sphere too Esports after all requires reaction speed spatial awareness and a competitive drive if there wasn't a biological difference why else would there be fewer numbers of women at the professional tier women and men do have have some differences when it comes to video games
• 06:00 - 06:30 and that's individual gender preferences and motivations for playing but preferences alone can't dictate performance and it's shown that women despite stereotypes are not less competitive than men a new study by the University of Arizona finds that women enter competitions at the same rate as men if they have the chance to share their winnings with losers in some way demonstrating that while women are just as competitive as men this competition manifests differently where their Drive is higher when they have a better chance of controlling the outcomes excluding the fact that compet ition registration
• 06:30 - 07:00 alone isn't indicative of competitive spirit in entirety this result would fall in line with Rising rates of female CEOs at Fortune 500 companies only now do women finally have the opportunity and chance to make a difference in the workforce and so it follows that their numbers are rising what else a study found that when controlling for time played men and women level up or Advance at the same rate using a mixed effect model one researcher proved that female players Advance through MMOs at least at the same speed as male Gamers noting in addition that quote as researchers they
• 07:00 - 07:30 believe it is unproductive to document gender differences and simply attribute them to play style or preference without probing the source of such differences as doing so may lead to hardened gender stereotypes instead research should Place emphasis onto the contexts and conditions under which these differences or lack thereof may occur with that in mind let's talk about the most important thing to consider when we look at male and female differences in biological performance something called stereotype threat to quote a team of researchers investigating its effects on a sample of high level female soccer player ERS according to stereotype threat Theory
• 07:30 - 08:00 when a negative stereotype about a group's ability is made relevant in a test taking situation Target individuals may fear being evaluated based on The Stereotype this evaluative threat creates an extra pressure that hampers their performance both this study and another conducted on golfers male and female corroborates the role of stereotype threat theory in performance when certain groups are made aware of stereotypes about them I.E that male golfers are worse Putters than women or that women are less athletic than men
• 08:00 - 08:30 significant declines and performance occurred another researcher focusing on the experience of women who eventually quit get video games puts forth a life cycle of source in which female gamers are introduced to a game by their friends gain confidence in their skills and venture out into competition with randoms and then inevitably quit due to the harassment they face imagine that an onslaught of other players enforcing the idea of a negative stereotype forless of its validity compounded with the fact that controlling for skill women are less confident in their gaming ability than men it's no surprise that they
• 08:30 - 09:00 perform worse and drop out at higher levels than men a word I've been trying to avoid this whole time misogyny runs rampant throughout the entire analysis of why women are being less represented than men at the highest level of e Sports ultimately it's the culture video gaming and ESP Sports keeping women out the harassment that women face in voice calls text chats Discord servers and twitch chats but this goes without saying I'd hope so I've left it here till the end ultimately misogyny is to blame for the many other reasons I've
• 09:00 - 09:30 outlined today it is the Catalyst in creating the environment that keeps women out of games if they start them and the reason why video games aren't marketed towards women in the first place it's the driving force behind the comments that are left on my 2,000 view videos and the logic behind underfunding female competitions before they're even given the chance to take off I'd hope that of all the arguments I need to prove or of all the claims that I need to back up this is one that can go without saying any organization competition or team can benefit from striving towards equal representation and Esports are no different especially
• 09:30 - 10:00 given the number of women who already love and care about video games I hope that today you've learned a little bit about why things stand at present in terms of the disproportionality we see because with greater understanding we can start working towards Solutions thank you so much for watching and I'll see you in the next [Music] video