CHENNAI:The stereotype that video-gaming is a male turf is broken, with women coming into the play. A study published by the Internet Advertising Bureau in 2014 reveals that 52 per cent of the gaming audience is made up of women. When we think of gaming, our mind immediately jumps to console titles dripping with machismo and unthinkably crude weaponry. The games that are more popular are the mobile and social games and the most popular categories are puzzle and trivia. That means less of Age of Legends (Heroes fighting to become legends) and more of Candy Crush Saga (Colour matching candies). The takeover by smartphones has made these games accessible to everybody, for these can be downloaded and played anywhere.
“When it is boring and I have nothing else to do, I just play games. Candy Crush Saga and Fruit Ninja (You have to slice all the fruits on the screen) are my favourite games,” says Kamatchi, a 39-year-old homemaker. About 10 million Facebook users in India play these games on social network, according to a report by a consulting firm BCG.
And naturally, about half of them are women. “I like playing Criminal Case where you get to play detective. You find the murderers and put them behind bars. It is also more fun, because you get to consult your friends and challenge them,” says Mythili, a college student.
From dress up and cooking games to wedding games — there are many options available for women. “My 10-year-old daughter likes to dress up barbies and princesses online. There are also wedding games where you get to play as a wedding planner. She loves it too,” says Yasodha, 35, a homemaker, who sometimes joins her daughter.
While some enjoy games like this and games like Farm Ville, City Ville, Cake Shop and Flower Shop, others enjoy puzzles like Think, Criminal Case and so on. “Think is a really interesting picture puzzle game where you have to find the names of objects, places, movies, TV series, etc. with the given clues. It is equally fun and informative,” says Nithya, a first-year college student.
“It is not always fashion and flowers with the girls. We also play android games like Dungeon Hunter 4 (saving the underground world), Galaxy on fire (saving our galaxy), and Blood Brothers. It is always fun to destroy enemies and to save the planet,” says Priya, a class XI student.
Then there are some, who play hardcore online fighting games like Dota, Age of Legends and Call of Duty. “I play Dota 2 with my friends and I am addicted to it. I have to play at least two hours every day,” says Sowmya, a dentist. Dota 2 is a war craft game, where there are two sides, Dire and Radiant and the team which destroys the other one wins. With over eight million players worldwide, it has become one of the most important games of the decade. There are others, who play real games, as men might call it. Games like Need for Speed (Car racing), Prince of Persia (A prince trying to save his country from his evil uncle with a magic dagger that can reverse time), and God of War (God of war losing his powers and fighting for his powers). “Prince of Persia and Assassin’s Creed are my two most favourite games. The plot line and the graphics are so good, that you get engrossed in the game,” says Sukshma, a college student.