- DiamondLobby.com analyzed every playable character in every new game released so far in 2022
- Nearly two times as many new games still have more playable male characters than female
- 61% of playable characters in 2022’s new games are male, down from 66.5%
New data shows that video games are making strides to improve their gender diversity, according to a new study that analyzed all 152 notable video games released so far in 2022.
The stats show that in games with preset characters, 61% of all playable characters were male, a number that has decreased from 66.5% from major video games released between 2017-2021.
Of games that only had playable preset characters of a single gender, 55% of games had only male characters and 45% had only female. Developers are getting closer to a 50/50 split when it comes to games that feature a single playable protagonist.
However, there are still nearly two times as many new games released that have more playable male preset characters compared to playable female preset characters.
Just 28% of games in the study had more playable female preset characters compared to 46% that have more playable male preset characters. The remaining 26% of games had an equal number of playable male and female characters.
“We weren’t planning to work on another diversity report any time soon, but with the controversy surrounding Activision Blizzard’s unveiling of their King’s Diversity Space Tool, we thought now would be the perfect time to look at how the industry was improving - or if it was improving at all,” said DiamondLobby’s Brittney Lin, who authored the piece.
“It is encouraging that a greater number of characters within games are female and we’re getting closer to a fairer reflection of the real world when it comes to gender representation in video games,” Lin continued.
“There is clearly still work to be done, though. I think we’re still some way away from achieving parity when it comes to the leading roles in games.
“More games are introducing either full character customization, or both a male and female preset version of the main protagonist, as a way of trying to appease diversity demands. But this merely avoids making bold decisions - and bold decisions often lead to the best narratives.”
To see the study’s full findings, visit: https://diamondlobby.com/geeky-stuff/female-representation-in-games/
About DiamondLobby
DiamondLobby is a major gaming website that produces tutorials, data-led studies and creative pieces aimed at helping gamers, sparking interesting conversations and encouraging positive change throughout the gaming community.