Women, Sports & Videogames

Mia Consalvo, PhDConcordia University

@miaC

Women, Sports & Videogames

The Commodity Audience

Gendering the Audience

women and sports

Passage of Title 9 in the USA

• 1971-72 2007-08 – 940% increase in female athletes in HS– 19% increase in male athletes in HS

– 456% increase in female athletes in NCAA– 31% increase in male athletes in NCAA

Salary Comparisons

• NBA 2008-09– $442,114 minimum

salary– $13,758,000 maximum

salary

• WNBA 2009– $35,190 minimum salary– $99,500 top salary

Highest Paid Athletes 2011

• Maria Sharapova - $25 million

• Caroline Wozniacki - $12.5 million

• Danica Patrick - $12 million

• Venus Williams - $11.5 million

• Kim Clijsters - $11 million

• Tiger Woods - $75 million

• Kobe Bryant - $53 million

• LeBron James - $38 million

• Roger Federer - $37 million

media coverage of women’s sports

Coverage of women’s sports

• Sports Illustrated covers 1997-2008– N=676 issues– 5.62% (38) had a woman

on the cover– Of the 38, 12 were

models for swimsuit edition

– 6 were part of a larger story such as the cost of college sports

SportsCenter on ESPN• 115 million monthly viewers• In a 30-day period, 778 stories featured male

athletes• 16 stories about female athletes• 13 about men and women

SportsCenter & Network Affiliates

• Network affiliates– 96.3% of time for men’s

sports– 1.6% for women’s sports– 2.1% for gender neutral

topics

• SportsCenter programs– 100% of programs led

with a men’s sports story

Why?

• Survey of newspaper editors– 24% felt that ‘women

are naturally less athletic than are men’

– 31% agreed that ‘women are naturally less interested in sports than are men’

What does this have to do with women in sports videogames?

PETER MOORE, PRESIDENT OF EA SPORTS, LOOKS AT “ADDRESSABLE MARKET SIZE; HOW MANY PLAYERS, HOW MANY FANS WHO HAVE INDICATED THROUGH RESEARCH THAT THEY WOULD BUY A GAME”

But women don’t play videogames!

(you know they do)

• ESAC: 38% of gamers are female

• 60%of mobile game market is female

• >50% of Nintendo DS and Wii users are female

• In EQ2, top 10% of male players played 49 hrs/wk; females 56 hrs/wk

• FS players 93% female; 51% play >2hrs/session; 78% play daily

Playable characters in games

Where can you find female images now?

Casual/Social & Fitness/Dance

Week of Jan 12, 2012

• According to NPD, “nearly 8 out of every 10 players of dance games are female” and “the majority of players are teens or younger”

Jane Fonda-esque

• Majesco’s Zumba Fitness Video Game– “feel the rush” – “dance your way to a

sexy six pack with Zumba fitness core”

– “party your abs off”

Women in sports videogames?

Top 10 best selling sports games

Golf?

Skateboarding & Wrestling

• Tony Hawk branded titles (1999-2012)• 6 of 51 characters across 12 games were

female– 1 was an NPC– 1 was a snowboarder

• WWE franchise regularly includes “Divas”– 2006 Day of Reckoning title offers “Bra and

Panties” matches

What about Olympics titles?

Roller Derby!

NHL 2k12

What about indie games?

What about mods?

Who Cares?

Thanks!

@miaC