Web3 games incorporate features to drive female participation

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Although there is still a clear lack of women in the Web3 sector, blockchain-based games geared towards women can help promote inclusivity. A recent report from the Entertainment Software Association found that 48% of gamers in the United States identify as female. It has also been noted that almost half of all gamers in the world are women. The interest women have shown in the multi-billion dollar gaming sector is remarkable. This, combined with the massive growth anticipated by the GameFi industry, is a major reason why many Web3 games are being built specifically for female users.

Beryl Chavez Lee, co-founder of Yield Guild Games – a global play-to-earn gaming community – told Cointelegraph that she believes blockchain-based games such as Axi Infinity are starting to see an uptick in female players. have make. “While statistics show that play-for-earn games are more appealing to male users, we believe more women will start to take an interest,” she said.

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Animoca Brands co-founder and executive chairman Yat Siu further told Cointelegraph that finance and Web3 gaming are closely related, noting that over time, it will naturally attract all kinds of people to the space. Yet she believes that women, in particular, will be attracted given their propensity for greater financial responsibility. “This is particularly evident in developing countries where microfinance, and microlending in particular, is primarily led by women,” he remarked.

Web3 game includes features to attract women

There are many web3 games coming out with the goal of attracting a predominantly female audience. For example, Fashion League is a free, earn-to-play mobile game that allows users to develop 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, which can eventually be sold as non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, while the brand will be able to showcase digital products. We believe that everything will become simpler in the future, as our statistics have found that the gaming market will exceed $300 billion by 2027. Web3 games need to be inclusive.

To increase women’s participation, Le Battistini explained that fashion leagues have certain characteristics that naturally attract women. “The aesthetics of the game is important, along with the fact that it will be available on mobile devices first. Women prefer to play games on mobile, as there is a lower barrier to entry,” she explained. Recent statistics show that 62% of people In addition, these findings show that the current mobile gaming gender divide is 51% for women and 49% for men. With regard to aesthetics, the A report by Female Quotient found that this is the single most important factor attracting women to the web3 space.

Fashion League Avatar. Source: Fashion League

Chavez Lee, who serves on the advisory board of the Fashion League, further explained that while many Web3 games focus on first- and third-person shooter games, creativity is still lacking. He added that the fashion league encourages individuals to create digital items that can eventually grow into marketable NFTs. “We are enabling 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. Chavez Lee also mentioned that players can compete and interact with each other during events such as fashion shows, adding a layer of socialization to the game.

In addition to 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 designed to create a fun and secure environment for gamers to explore their digital identities:

“Avatars can browse Blueberry’s two-story boutique and try on clothing and accessories. The collection’s clean lines and silhouettes are matched with miniskirts, crop tops and party girl metallics, as well as fun accessories like cat backpacks. Plus, there are a variety of hairstyles available for further customization.”

Like Fashion League, BlueberryXWorld was created entirely by female designers and developers. While Macduff notes that the game can be enjoyed by everyone, she believes this element ensures that female producers are able to make their point of view heard. She elaborated: “In most traditional sports, you see women represented in such an unrealistic way: no cellulite, no stretch marks, no body fat. Our avatars have love handles, stretch marks and All other things are what make us human.”

Macduff also pointed out that community is an underlying principle of the game, which he believes will appeal to women: “Players can stop by the cafe to have a drink and chat with each other. Women have always had the ability to build strong, close-knit communities, so it will come as no surprise to see this in Web3.”

BlueberryXworld Avatar. Source: Blueberries

Lenny Pettersson, chief operating officer of Antler Interactive – the Sweden-based mobile game studio – and executive CEO of “My Neighbor Alice”, told Cointelegraph that some of the most important features behind the Web3 game focus on player collaboration and in-game connections. . , Petersen explained that the game allows users to gather resources to shape an archipelago together. Pettersson shared that player collaboration has already become apparent in the game’s Discord channel, noting that players write messages and post screenshots to the channel showing where the best places to fish can be found. , For example.

Given this type of community involvement, Peterson explained that much of the inspiration behind My Neighbor Alice is derived from traditional games that have been popular with a female target audience. For example, he said that art style plays a big role here. “The colorful and playful art style like a story is intentional.”

Imagery from My Neighbor Alice. Source: My Neighbor Alice

While aesthetics, customization and community building are all important features to attract women to Web3, better representation is also important. Marcus Blasche, CEO and co-founder of Rumble Kong League (RKL) – a game combining basketball, play-to-earn and NFT – told Cointelegraph that basketball and Web 3, unfortunately, both thunder representations of female users. share the challenge. To counter this, Blashe explained that RKL recently partnered with Round 21, a women-led Web3 native sports lifestyle brand with an emphasis on collaboration and community.

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According to Blash, this partnership has helped launch a new NFT game collection called “The Rookies,” which creates an equal division of male and female “rookies” to ensure female athletes are represented in Web3. Round21 founder Jasmine Maeta told Cointelegraph that the organization is specifically helping RKL create equal opportunities for anyone – regardless of their gender, ethnicity or social background, adding:

“We believe the Web3 world offers a unique opportunity to build a fair and equitable ecosystem from scratch. Our Rookie Collection is the first step in this direction, putting male and female athletes on the same page, and We plan to continue this narrative with anything we do in the future.”
Rookie Avatar. Source: Rumble Kong League

Will sports increase women’s participation in Web3?

All things considered, it is still difficult to determine whether Web3 games geared towards women will actually result in increased participation. For example, Peterson believes this is a difficult question to answer right now. Still, he said it suffices to say that high-quality Web3 games geared toward women will have an impact on bringing more women into the field: “the first “Web 2″ games exclusively for boys and men. Were designed and oriented. Over the decades more and more games have been designed for girls and women.”

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With this in mind, she believes that the Web3 sector already knows that women love sports and want to be involved, thus giving more attention to this gender segment. However, Petersen said that it would be difficult to determine the true impact of these games, noting:

“The challenge for Web3Games also stems from the mass adoption of crypto, which is not specifically related to the gender question, but to the mass adoption of crypto around the world. And the reach for that to happen. And there’s still a way to go when it comes to user-friendliness.”

Siu also commented that games are becoming less gender-dependent, while Maeta commented that Web3 has an opportunity to base its culture on deliberate inclusion. While notable, it’s important to recognize that the Web3 gaming space is still going. As such, some in the industry believe that developers are currently focusing more on building the ecosystem rather than on inclusivity. For example, Olga Ivanova, content and community manager at Spielworks – a blockchain gaming platform – told Cointelegraph that she believes Web3 game devs want to “build a strong in-game economy and minimize game design.” More concerned with raising up to AAA standard.”