Though there's nonetheless an obvious lack of girls within the Web3 sector, blockchain-based video games focused at girls may help promote inclusion. A current report from the Leisure Software program Affiliation found that 48% of avid gamers in the USA establish as feminine. It was too written down that nearly half of all avid gamers on the earth are girls. The curiosity of girls within the multi-billion greenback playing sector is outstanding. This, together with the huge development forecast for the GameFi trade, is a key motive why plenty of Web3 video games are being developed particularly for feminine customers.
Beryl Chavez Li, co-founder of Yield Guild Video games -- a world play-to-earn gaming neighborhood -- advised Cointelegraph that she believes blockchain-based video games like Axie Infinity are seeing an uptick in feminine avid gamers. "Though statistics present that play-to-earn video games are likely to enchantment extra to male customers, we consider that extra girls will probably be excited about them," she stated.
Web3 games contain features to attract women
A series of Web3 games are being realized to appeal to a predominantly female audience. For example, Fashion League is a free to play mobile game that allows users to build their own fashion empire. Theresia Le Battistini, CEO and founder of Fashion League, told Cointelegraph that the game allows users to create virtual clothing lines that could eventually be sold as non-fungible tokens or NFTs, while brands could use the game to create digital products present: “We believe that in the future everything will be gamified as our statistics have shown that the gaming market will surpass $300 billion by 2027. Web3 games need to be inclusive.”
To encourage women's participation, Le Battistini explained that the Fashion League contains certain traits that are inherently attractive to women. “The game's aesthetics are important, along with the fact that it will be accessible on mobile devices first. Women like to play games on mobile because the barrier to entry is low,” she explained. Current statistics show 62% of individuals set up a sport on their telephone inside per week of proudly owning it. Moreover, these outcomes point out that the present gender cut up in cell gaming is 51% for girls and 49% for males. Talking of aesthetics, a overview by The Feminine Quotient discovered that to be the case the most important factor is to attract women to the web3 area.
Avatars of the fashion league. Source: Fashion League
Fashion League Advisory Board member Chavez Li further pointed out that many Web3 games focus on first-person and third-person shooter games, but they lack creativity. She noted that the Fashion League encourages individuals to create digital items that can eventually evolve into salable NFTs. “We enable the creator economy through a fun game. The more users play, the more points they can earn. In-game cash can then be exchanged for tokens that can be converted into fiat," she said. Chavez Li also mentioned that players can compete and interact at events like fashion shows, adding a layer of socialization to the game.
Alongside Fashion League, Mishi McDuff, founder of digital fashion brand Blueberry, told Cointelegraph that the company launched a 3D boutique shopping experience on gaming platform Roblox. Known as "BlueberryXWorld", McDuff explained that the Web3 game was developed to create a fun and safe environment for players to explore their digital identity:
“Avatars can browse Blueberry's two-story boutique and try on clothing and accessories. The clean lines and silhouettes of the collections are combined with cool accents such as mini skirts, crop tops and metallic garments for party girls, as well as fun accessories such as cat backpacks. In addition, a variety of hairstyles are available for further customization.”
Like Fashion League, BlueberryXWorld was created entirely by female designers and developers. While McDuff noted that the game can be enjoyed by all, she believes this element ensures female developers can hear their perspectives. She explained, “In most traditional games, you see women portrayed in such an unrealistic way: no cellulite, no stretch marks, no body fat. Our avatars have love handles, stretch marks, and all the other things that make us human.”
McDuff also pointed out that community is a core tenet of the game, which she believes will be very appealing to women: "Players can stop by the coffee shop to have a drink and chat with each other. Women have always had a knack for building strong, close-knit communities, so it will come as no surprise to see that on Web3.”
BlueberryXWorld avatars. Source: Blueberry
Lenny Pettersson, chief operating officer of Antler Interactive -- a Sweden-based mobile games studio -- and acting CEO of "My Neighbor Alice," told Cointelegraph that some of the key features behind the Web3 game revolve around player collaboration and Concentrate connections in game . Pettersson explained that the game allows users to collect resources to form an archipelago together. Pettersson shared that player collaboration has already become evident on the game's Discord channel, noting that players are writing messages and posting screenshots on the channel detailing, for example, where to find the best spots for fishing.
Given this type of community engagement, Pettersson explained that a lot of the inspiration for My Neighbor Alice came from traditional games popular with a female audience. For example, he noted that art style plays a big role here. "A colorful and playful art style reminiscent of a fairy tale is intended."
Pictures of My Neighbor Alice. Source: My Neighbor Alice
While aesthetics, customization and community building are important attributes to attract women to Web3, better representation is also crucial. Marcus Bläsche, CEO and co-founder of Rumble Kong League (RKL) -- a game that combines basketball, play-to-earn, and NFTs -- told Cointelegraph that unfortunately basketball and Web3 both share the challenge of thunder representation for female users. To counteract this, Bläsche explained that RKL recently partnered with Round 21, a women-led Web3 sports lifestyle brand with a focus on collaboration and community.
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According to Bläsche, this partnership has helped launch a new NFT game collection called The Rookies, which creates an equal split of male and female "rookies" to ensure female athletes are represented in Web3. Jasmine Maietta, founder of Round21, told Cointelegraph that the organization specifically helps RKL create equal opportunities for everyone - regardless of gender, ethnicity or social background, adding:
“We believe that the Web3 world offers a unique opportunity to create a fair and equal ecosystem from scratch. Our Rookie Collection is the first step in that direction by putting male and female athletes on the same page, and we plan to continue that narrative with everything we do going forward.”
Beginner Avatar. Source: Rumble Kong League
Will games increase women's participation in Web3?
All in all, it's still difficult to determine if Web3 games targeted at women will actually result in increased participation. For example, Pettersson believes that question is difficult to answer at this point. However, he noted that suffice it to say that quality Web3 games targeted at women will help attract more women into the industry: “The first 'Web2' games were designed specifically for boys and men developed and aligned. Over the decades, more and more games have been developed for girls and women.”
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Against this background, he believes that the Web3 industry is already aware that women like games and want to get involved and is therefore putting more focus on this gender class. However, Pettersson added that determining the actual impact of these games will be difficult, noting:
“The challenge for Web3 gaming is also related to mass crypto adoption, which is not specifically related to a gender issue, but to mass crypto adoption around the world. And there is still work to be done when it comes to accessibility and usability.”
Siu also commented that games are becoming less gender biased, while Maietta noted that Web3 has an opportunity to base its culture on conscious inclusivity. While notable, it's important to realize that the Web3 gaming space is still going strong. As such, some in the industry believe developers are currently focused on ecosystem building rather than inclusivity. For example, Olga Ivanova, content and community manager at Spielworks -- a blockchain gaming platform -- told Cointelegraph that she believes Web3 game developers are more concerned with "creating robust in-game economies and game design at a minimum." to raise the AAA standard”.
