General News

A lot of people picture esports fans as an all-male group of millennials. The number of men in spectatorship and competitive scene far outnumbers the number of women. However, that doesn’t mean women aren’t there. Based on the recent survey conducted by Nielsen Esports Fan Insights, 22% of all esports fans from around the world are female and is increasing at a rapid rate.

Despite the increasing gender parity in the places where tournaments and events are organized, male and female esports fans follow the scene for relatively different reasons: women for socializing and cosplaying, while men towards becoming a better gamer.

Women’s Interest: Entertainment, Socializing, Cosplaying; Men’s Interest: Entertainment, Learn from Pros, Become a Better Gamer

Reasons why fans say they engage with esports – Image snipped from nielsen.com

This graph shows the reasoning behind both men and women’s esports engagement. Although both genders follow esports generally for entertainment, it is notable that women in esports tend to be more interested towards socializing and participating in cosplaying events, while men are more inclined towards learning tips and tricks from the pros and getting better at gaming.

Multi-tasking While Spectating Esports Competition

Which of the following, if any, do you do at the same time you are watching an esports event/competition? – Image snipped from nielsen.com

You can see in this graph that women in esports have a way higher percentage in socializing (social networking, online chatting) compared to men while spectating an event. Meanwhile, men who play video games while spectating have a higher percentage than women. This data supports the idea that women and men have different interests in the esports world.

The statistics presented are visually observable during esports events: males being the competitive contestants while females are the active cosplaying participants. Nevertheless, the dynamic participation of both genders, male and female, in esports is something we should celebrate.

(For more information about the research, visit Nielsen Esports Insights.)