Rise of Female Gamers in India: Breaking Barriers and Reshaping the Industry

Renegade

Renegade

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Luminary
India’s gaming industry is projected to be $9.2 billion by 2029, with women making up 44% of the 507 million gamers. However, female gamers face unique challenges in this traditionally male-dominated space, including sexism, harassment, and limited opportunities.

Harassment and Sexism in Gaming
Gamer 1, a graphic designer and a weekend gamer, struggles with sexist remarks in gaming lobbies. Comments like “Your face is good, not your skills” reflect the toxic environment they have to endure. Despite her skill, she notes that male gamers often mock female players, making it vital to focus on improving skills while ignoring negativity. Something that should not happen even if the gamer is not doing well. Competitive as it may be, does not give anybody the right to run someone down.

Pivot to Streaming
Due to biases in competitive gaming, many women are turning to streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch. Streamers like Xyaa and Meow16K have built supportive communities by blending gaming with lifestyle content. Showcasing resilience against online trolling.

Systemic Inequalities
The esports scene is heavily male-dominated. Globally, no women rank among the top 400 players, and earnings disparities are stark—women earn just $3.42 for every $100 earned by men. In India, opportunities for women in tournaments are scarce, forcing many to switch to content creation or abandon esports careers altogether.

Success Stories and Representation
Streamers like Xyaa have gained recognition for their personality-driven content and responses to online harassment. PayalGaming, India’s most-followed female gamer with over 4 million subscribers, became the first Indian woman to win an international gaming award in 2024. Inspirational for others but still exceptions in an unequal landscape.

Steps Toward Inclusivity
Initiatives like boot camps, professional coaching, and all-female tournaments are emerging but remain limited. Organizations like Global Esports and Riot Games are working to create safer spaces for women in gaming. Female gamers are important for a more inclusive industry and for providing equal opportunity.

Context
The reason why I picked this article is because even her on TE, things used to be a little on the edge when a female member used to join. I hope we have now matured enough to foster an inclusive culture that welcomes all members.

Source: https://theprint.in/ground-reports/...gamers-are-turning-to-twitch-youtube/2435487/
 
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Interesting.
Prime Minister Modi had a talk with Gamers and there was one female gamer too.

I didn't saw much of that video but it was nice to see her doing well.

Female have their own challenge no doubt specially in male dominated areas but atleast the world is opening up to them.
 
Renegade said:
It was this gamer who met PM Modi.
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Yes ..I remember.

It is amazing how far video gaming has come in India also and for females.

We use to wait months and even year to get hands on games ..not just original but even pirate games disc use to come quite late.

I remember my pirate game seller use to say abhi Maal aya nahi hai Thailand/ Hong Kong se.

Collector edition toh matlab lottery tha.

Girls were hardly ever interested in video games back then atleast in India.

At max my girl friends or cousins would come play one or two round of Tekken and if they lost they would leave it...even accusing of cheating in the game.

If they would win then they would play some more rounds again.

And today female gamers are winning tournaments.

Sahi hai.
 
Renegade said:
I have not watched gameplay videos at all of any gender and I find it a complete waste of time watching someone else play games. But that wasn't the point anyway.
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I agree with that, even though I have my own channel and livestream.

I did stumble upon a few female gamer's live streams. And was surprised that most of their viewers were not there for the gameplay. These dumb guys literally ask for their numbers on live.
Maybe it's not the gamer but their audience that I don't like.
 
I kinda want to see a gender based player base count across different devices like PC, PC Handhelds, Switch, PS and Android/iOS

Would be even better if it was split by countries too...

I just like seeing these sort of data, not making any comparisons. Also, it might prove my thinking to be wrong, who knows. Currently, I'd like to think percentage of female gamers is higher for consoles or Switch where there are more "coxy/casual" games compared to PC and eSports title.

Well, it's also nice if I'm proven right. I want more cozy/casual games to play lol, not something that forces me to keep fighting and not being able to save etc
 
When you stream as a female you are bound to get creeps and harassment in your chat. Its not country specific although it may be be higher in India. May sound a bit heartless but you need to have a tough skin to stream and put yourself on the internet. Have good moderation to quickly ban any negativity in your chat. Female streamer need to be extra careful about not doxing themselves by revealing too much personal information. Online harassment can be bad but your don't want it to turn into IRL harassment. The more they moderate their chat the more it will becomes a much nicer environment and community for a stream.

I used to moderate a few twitch channels including female streamers and I know what kind of messages they receive. Have seen DMs of unsolicited ahem pics and super creepy messages. Can be quite stressful for mental health.
 
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