New study reveals %30 of esports viewers are female
The rise in the number of esports tournaments and the diversity of its different games to suit the different tastes has led to a noticeable increase in the number of female followers among competitive gaming audiences
About 30% of esports followers today are women, according to research by Interpret. Although the figure may not seem very large at first glance, it represents a 6.5% increase over 2017, a positive sign of increased interest in the sport of the future among females.
The percentage that Interpret has shown is for females who have seen at least one esports tournament/event before, but the figure drops to 20.3% when the question is about following one of the different competitive video game leagues. However, the figure is still encouraging.
“If two years from now, females grab an additional six percent in share, esports viewership will be in gender split parity with what we consider standard among traditional console and PC games,” said Interpret’s vice president of research Tia Christianson.
The split Christianson talked about is the gender split in competitive games players, with 35% being female on PC or consoles. The biggest female percentage in competitive games included Overwatch and Hearthstone with 26% each of the total number of players. CS: GO scored a surprising 24% and Dota 2 came fourth with 20%.
The big figures, however, were present when talking smart phone games. Women accounted for 66% of smart phone players with an approximate of close to 50% on Angry Birds 2 and Pokemon GO, and over 50% With Candy Crush, Cookie Jam, Wordscopes and more.
Perhaps the simplicity of smart phone games, their sleek designs and ease of play are the key factors that attract the larger female audience, but some may argue that these games serve as an introduction into actual gaming world. With high female viewerships, we are definitely moving towards gender parity in esports, and encouraging participation in tournaments and events has become more important than ever.
