In a world full of orcs and demolition men- choose to be a kitty cat baker.

There are many sociological issues in which women of today's society are sorely underrepresented. As a quick little thought experiment, I, as a woman, decided to type "Women less likely to" into google. I typed this fragment of a thought into the popular search engine, and what I got in return was seriously concerning. Apparently, as a woman I'm less likely to be proud of the work I produce, less likely to be picked for 'brainy' tasks, less likely to be promoted, and even less likely to receive bystander CPR. Letting all of those sink in, I also found out that I'm less likely to be thought about when it comes to my all-time favorite hobby: video games.

While the idea that a Good Samaritan is less likely to spring into action and save my life was definitely disturbing- I was even more agitated by the concept that an industry I have quite literally dumped thousands of my hard earned dollars and hundreds of hours of my life into- didn't give a crap about me and what I wanted.

Luckily, while down a rabbit hole explaining to me something I had always known, but had somehow (in a very masculine way, I might add) managed to completely avoid dealing with- I found out about sites like Prinxy. A website fully dedicated to providing online games for girls that not only more fairly represent our interests, but also our presence in the gaming community at large.

Why We Need Online Games for Girls

What I found is that Prinxy offers some pretty girly games. With themes like cooking, dress up, and design, the site creates a world that just didn't exist in the days when I started gaming. Don't get me wrong- I love slaying orcs, driving fast cars, and finding warp whistles as much as anybody, but it got me wondering- do I love these things because I love video games or because that's all I was offered?

I remember when a certain game about weird talking animals came out. I put so many hours into baking, growing, harvesting, and running errands for my furry little friends, that when I did emerge from my console fueled coma, I was in serious need of a shower and food that didn't come in a cardboard box. But for me, that game was a revelation. It wasn't centered around some busty blonde taking down zombies in a tiny cheerleading uniform, or bathed in space alien blood- but it was still something I really enjoyed playing, and at that time- basically a one off.

The gaming development industry has always been male dominated. This becomes obvious when you realize that almost all of the best female video game characters are merely support staff, or of those who somehow manage to snag a leading role, their outfits are only marginally larger than their personalities.

Gaming sites like Prinxy offer something novel and necessary- games that capture the innocence and joy of playing games that more fairly represent stuff we're actually interested in.

Better Communities, Better Support, and Better Online Games for Girls

This growing trend of online games for girls has had a ripple effect in the entire community. From development to players. In 2019, Nottingham Trent University of the UK published a groundbreaking paper looking into the idea that female gamers aren't just underrepresented, but understudied.

What they found was that the girls most likely to suffer gaming addictions, are also less likely to be appropriately diagnosed. Not to mention at a far higher risk of having a negative body image and social phobias- two things which most game titles only serve to compound. There's also serious concern within the industry about women being bullied and contending with a huge amount of sexual harassment from their gaming peers.

To the point where most women gamers hesitate to even don themselves with the title of "gamer". Oftentimes leaving them completely outside of the comradery of video game culture at large. Which is why online games for girls are so fundamental- as they offer a representative space to female gamers early on. Allowing them to feel better connected not only to the community, but to the games they play as well.

Fitting the Mold

As opposed to the idea that female gamers are changing themselves to fit inside the mold of contemporary video games- instead game developers are having to fit their molds specifically to the female gamer. Which is a leg up in such a historically white male dominated industry.

The reason behind this could be that the conversation is finally starting to be brought to the table- but it's also because numbers don't lie. According to a recent Statista report, women make up nearly 41% of all gamers in the US. With 52% of mobile players being women, so it makes sense that online games for girls are starting to become a noticeably popular genre.

Which is something that is incredibly exciting to see, not just as a female gamer, but as a female gamer hoping to raise future female gamers. And raise them in a world that doesn't just supply them with a community, but with a genuine interest in providing them games that girls actually want to play.