In Part One of this series, I argued that feminist and cultural studies scholars can and should be talking about games that simulate reality. Often these types of games (sports, racing) get overlooked because they are simply supposed to mimic reality. Thus, any critique would de facto be a critique of our world, not the game. Further, many of these games don’t have character creation options, or even main characters you control, which can mean players don’t feel a similar need to see themselves on the screen or identify with the characters in a meaningful way.
Today I want to talk about my experience with Madden ’17 in particular, and sports games in general. First, let’s talk about who plays sports games. According to a 2012 study by Mia Consalvo, sports gamers are 98.4% male, 80% white, and in their mid 20s. This is a significant departure from gaming statistics overall. So why are sports games so skewed? Maybe it’s because sports fans themselves align with these statistics? Nope, that is not the case. 35% of the NFL fan base identifies as female. 45% of the NBA fan base identifies as Black. Major League Soccer has a 34% Hispanic fan base. The biggest demographic for each of the major sports is 35-54, which does not correspond to the mid-twenties seen in sports gamers.
These aren’t necessarily the most amazing statistics, but it certainly is a much different picture than sports games are painting. In fact, the lowest % of self-identified female fans was tied between the NBA and MLB at 30%. If women like sports (30-35% across major sports) and women like games (about 46% player base), why is the sports gamer group less than 2% female?
Well, I think a lot is going on here. First, the players in all of the major sports are mostly men: NBA, NFL, MLS, NHL, and PGA. If there is a women’s division, it is usually significantly less attended, less funded, and less in the spotlight than their male counterparts. Further, while women are included on some of the more cartoon-y versions of sports games, the games that most closely stick to pure simulation feature almost exclusively male bodies. This shouldn’t be shocking, if the goal of a sports simulation game is to simulate a sport, and the players are almost all male. This may mean, however, that while women are fans of the sport itself, there is a significantly less draw to play a game that they have to take on a male persona.
I would buy a WNBA game in a heartbeat. I would buy a softball game in a heartbeat. I don’t even love basketball or softball. But the chance to play a sports game feature non-male characters would be pretty fun. Just imagine further if we could have games that featured the top athletes regardless of gender. Of course, that wouldn’t be a simulation game in a true sense anymore. Where do transgender athletes fit into the equation as well? Sports has a gender problem. Period. I wonder if there is any area where the gender binary is more fully upheld and defended as in sports. [Side note: I play several sports, and I have played with folks who identify as non-binary. The world didn’t collapse in on itself. However, the talk behind the scenes from people I had previously respected was embarrassing and enraging.]
So, Madden ‘17. Most players are male; the bodies represented in the game are male. We have established that. But I don’t think either of these things are what is keeping that percentage of female players so low. I think what is keeping women out of sporting games is the fact that they have taken very few, if any, strides to make their gameplay inclusive and welcoming. Madden ‘17 assumes a familiarity not only with previous Madden games, but with sports games as a genre. I was super excited to pick up and play this week: I wanted to increase that 2%. I love football. I play lots of sports. I play even more games. You’d think I’d be an audience that would be easy to satisfy. But, nope.
I don’t think this is necessary a gender issue, by the way. I think there is an assumption that certain people play sports games, and the sports game industry caters to them. The mechanics, playstyle, controls, functionality, and progression all speak to an audience that is already familiar with the franchise. If very few women were fans in the past, the barrier of entry is very high. I have found that men who don’t play sports games have an equally hard time playing Madden ’17. Now, admittedly, I haven’t spent extensive amounts of time with the game. However, I picked up a controller and had a blast playing Forza Horizon 3 without having played a racing game since Need for Speed on the Playstation. There is something in that game for everyone. That is not the case so far with Madden. I felt excluded, clumsy, and stupid for the entirety of the game, the game where I threw 4 interceptions and committed 2 safeties, by the way.
I’m going to keep at it, but I can say that my experience with Forza Horizon 3 and Madden ’17 could not have been different, and I think that is directly related to how each franchise sees its audience and its future.
