Give a Girl a Virtual Gun Already

When Nicole Fawcette first saw a chainsaw fixed to a rifle in Gears of War, her gut reaction was, “Hell yeah, I’m into that!”

Fawcette, along with many of the fans of the gore-filled, heartstring-pulling first-person

shooter, fell in love with the innovative gun design when the game was released in 2006.

Nineteen years later she is Brand Director at The Coalition, the studio behind the franchise, and is responsible for ensuring that development of new Gears titles align with the dark tones of the franchise.

Nicole Fawcette, Brand Director for The Coalition Studio

Female gamers like Fawcette have come a long way since the dawn of video games. From being the only one of her friend group playing Xbox to holding a senior leadership position, Fawcette has seen first-hand how gaming has evolved its attitude toward women both on and off the screen. “It doesn’t have the stigma it did when I was growing up,” she acknowledges with some relief.

To recover from the Video Game Crash of 1983 the industry changed its development approach, targeting a male audience through male-centred narratives of heroism and violence that frequently objectified women. In the process of growing into the 217.06 billion USD global market size we see today, the industry cultivated a male-dominated sub-culture that frequently invalidates female players.

Despite this, female interest in video games continues to grow. As of 2024 nearly 50% of the player base identified as female, according to Byrter’s annual Women Gamer study, and their top three genres of choice were Action-Adventure, Shooters, and Battle Royales.

Even studies that suggest women are more inclined to play cozy puzzle games, such as a 2021 study published in EBSCO, also found that women who played multi-player online games showed higher engagement than men. It’s clear that female players are just as keen to raise a digital gun as the boys.

Studios are also acknowledging this in their development, shifting away from gendered thinking and instead focusing on player interest. “As game developers you take player motivations into account… It's kind of like talking to your friends,” Fawcette explains. “And we want to make it as easy as possible for you to come in and experience [the game].”

This values-based approach to game development strengthens both the game and the player experience, and empowers studios to pull down barriers to their game by making it accessible for anyone interested in playing, regardless of gender.

Female fans of violent, high-action narratives have always been around, and industry change

continues to grow with the numbers. More titles are featuring authentic female leads, such as the recent breakout hit Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 and the upcoming The Witcher IV.

Employment in the industry has grown from 5% to over 20% over the last twenty years,

according to Women in Gaming.

Overall the trend is clear; women like shooting, slashing, and fighting pixilated villains just as

much as the boys. They’re here to play, and they’re here to stay.