IQS and Gameset: Women account for 47% of video game players in Poland
According to IQS research Game Story, there are 17 million players in Poland in the 9–55 age group. Almost half of them, 47%, are women. This means that in Poland there is about 8 million female gamers on all platforms.
Contrary to popular stereotypes, video games are not only the domain of men. Research shows that women participate in the gaming culture to a large extent and like various games, including sports games or shooters which were usually associated with men.
Women make up 53% of all players who play 4 to 6 times a week and 42% of those who play daily. For over ⅕ of them, playing is so important that they call it their passion. Among the reasons why they play, they mention the opportunity to relax and break away from reality, spend time with friends in games or possibility to become someone else as well as the adrenaline and excitement that goes with it.
There is also a belief that women play rather occasionally and mostly on their mobile phones. The results of Game Story report show that the reality is quite different. About 2.3 million of Polish women play on a computer or console* every day. Among the selected types of games for consoles and computers are action, adventure and simulation games (43%) and shooter games (41%). The most popular PC and console games among female respondents are The Sims, FIFA and GTA V.
Approximately 40% of women who play are watching gaming content, such as gameplay streams. Among Polish streaming stars the most popular ones, such as Brunecia, Nieuczesana or UrQueeen have 150 thousand and more subscribers on Twitch. Many women also create gaming channels on YouTube with hundreds of thousands or even millions of subscribers, and the most popular ones include MagdalenaMariaMonika and Ewela.
Women are gaining power in gaming
The research from the Polish market does not differ from those concerning players’ demographics in global terms. Newzoo analytical agency estimates that women make up 46% of all people in the world interested in gaming.
Not only do more and more women reach for games, but also pursue professional careers in the field of game production, gaming marketing or in esports. It is of great importance to have female idols on the gaming market, with whom young women can identify and be inspired by. As such we can for sure perceive Amy Henning, a legend of the gamedev industry and screenwriter of the Uncharted series. In the world of esports, the presenters Eefje ‘sjokz’ Depoortere or Frankie Ward have achieved success and fame which can be inspiring for many women. Many famous women are publicly sharing their passion for games. These include American congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and actress Mila Kunis. In Poland among them are martial arts champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk, TV presenter Izabella Krzan or Margaret, a singer.
In popular titles players can more often impersonate strong female characters — it’s enough to mention Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider series, Kassandra from Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey or Ellie and Abby from the award-winning The Last of Us Part II. Feminist Frequency analysis shows that in 18% of the games announced in 2020 there were female protagonists presented, which is an absolute breakthrough. In previous years this result rarely approached 10%.
Female gamers are getting noticed by brands
We are witnessing a breakthrough in gaming, because women are having more influence on this market than ever before — as specialists they get to say what games are created and how female characters look and behave, and as consumers they have impact on the sales success of individual titles. Gaming and esports are growing among others thanks to sponsors and companies that see gaming fans as their target group. It’s time for them to look at this market as a whole, not just through the lense of a male-gamer — says Karolina Kałużyńska from Gameset, a gaming marketing agency.
Although women make up almost half of all players, they rather sporadically become the recipients of gaming marketing activities. The majority of gaming campaigns are targeted at men and lack women representation. However, the situation is changing and global brands have begun to recognize the potential of lady players as a target group and have started a dialogue with them. Currently the cosmetics brands are leading, such as Benefit, the initiator of Game Face action, M.A.C. Cosmetics, which presented its offer on Twitchcon, or Sephora, which for several years has been sponsoring one of the few international women’s sports tournaments. As streaming of games is associated with self presentation in front of the camera and cosplay (creating costumes and stylizations inspired by game characters) is popular among gamers, there is a natural context for brands from ‘typical’ female product categories. But for sure, they are not the only ones who should take campaigns targeted at women players into account.
We have prepared a special offer for our clients for regarding campaigns for women and we will encourage them to get more involved in this area in Poland and CEE region. All steps taken by the brands will have a significant impact on equal opportunities and creating positive attitudes in the community of players — she adds.
The data comes from Game Story research conducted by IQS using CAWI method: N=1000 national survey of Polish residents aged 9–55 years and N=886 national survey of players aged 9–55 years. *estimations from Game Story 2020, November 25–26, 2020, N=1050 Polish national survey of players aged 9–55.
Gameset is the largest network of gaming influencers and the most awarded gaming marketing agency in Poland. We help brands effectively reach the gaming community. We combine knowledge in the field of influencer marketing, gaming and esports, and thanks to our experience in working with developers and agencies we create a new quality in the CEE region. We are part of LTTM — Poland’s largest group providing video, influencer and gaming marketing services, which is part of Mediacap Holding.
