Horizon Zero Dawn (Action-Adventure) 

Protagonist: Aloy

As an ominous open-world stuff, defining players as skillful hunters or archers within a post-apocalyptic world filled with robotic creatures, Horizon Zero Dawn is everything but action-packed. The character is the one with more ramifications. This protagonist is actuated with curiosity, self-discovery, and a sense of justice had to face the challenge of knowing about her origins, taking down corrupt systems, and saving her world from destruction. In fact, complicated aspects concern Aloy: smart, resourceful, and tough to challenge the “traditional” gender roles in gaming. Her story contains all kinds of richness regarding emotional depth and addresses topics like identity, family, and the impacts of human ambition.

The Last of Us, Part II (Action Adventure) 

Protagonist: Ellie 

Ellie is a young woman thrust into the intensities of a world destroyed by a fungus infection. Revenge, grief, and the results of things done have brought her to this point. The story translates trauma, loss, and even moral issues concerning revenge in the honest portrayal of both internal and external struggles within her. In fact, The Last of Us, Part II is a master’s treatise in real character development as it depicts a flawed, raw, and yet human protagonist.

Celeste (Platformer/Indie)

Protagonist: Madeline 

Explore a fantastic indie platformer, Celeste. Here, you will meet Madeline, a young girl going through the most dreaded climb in her life today. Besides the sheer physical aspect of the climb, her major challenge is battling internal demons. Challenges are huge in this game as it speaks of a personal narrative involving issues of a mental nature, self-acceptance, and all further bases under the category of anxiety. In Madeline, there is a strong description of both the best and worst that the journey creates: it is laid bare without glamor. They provide the player with some impossible challenges/platforms: first in the game on the space planes, then in emotional growth, and in the end, her tale can be seen as the best reflection of self-improvement through resilience.

Tomb Raider (Action-Adventure) 

Protagonist: Lara Croft 

The Tomb Raider series, most notably by its reboot in 2013 and its sequels, features a more human and emotionally complex version of Lara than was previously known in the older series. She was an untouchable action heroine in the earlier games, but here it’s about where all the vulnerabilities originated and the psychology bred in her years of being a raider. With self-doubt and moral dilemmas, Lara Croft became resourceful, brave, and highly capable. Her story arc revolves around survival, exploration, and self-discovery, making her an iconic yet somewhat more layered female character in gaming.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Role-Playing Action)

Hero: Kassandra

This feature allows players to select a protagonist between Kassandra and Alexios in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. But this option provides Kassandra with much to offer in terms of strength or appeal. Both game players and critics seem to agree. Based in Ancient Greece, Kassandra is a mercenary with an exciting past tied up with her family and her destiny. Her journey comprises self-discovery while traversing the breadth of the politics of Greece and the history of her family’s secrets. She’s strong and independent and pairs physical strength and mental prowess. The plot of her story delves into the viability of power, identity, and loyalty. The role she plays as the main character is significant as she brings herself as a character and agency and chooses paths that define the narrative in meaningful ways. 

The games bring out powerful female protagonists from across the gaming world in various scopes-inward, reflective, and utterly empowering. From Aloy’s self-exploration in Horizon Zero Dawn to Kassandra having no qualms in her own game, these women are showcased as being more than capable of making up the front and center while still proving that they can carry their weight in having engaging, complex, meaningful stories. It’s not about a single genre. The action and adventure genres, role-playing games, platformers, and even some indie titles show that powerful female protagonists are not confined to but, in fact, truly are a driving force for the future of gaming narratives.

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Technical gear

You don’t need to spend a fortune on gaming technology or have a huge team to get yourself moving, but you’ll still need gear that provides a result good enough to meet subscribers’ expectations:

• Computer: You’ll need a powerful desktop PC or laptop with a standalone graphics card and enough RAM to handle running streaming software and video games (assuming you’re going to be streaming video games) simultaneously.
• Camera: Obviously, you’ll need a high-quality HD webcam. Popular choices include the Logitech C920 or the Razer Kiyo.
• Microphone: Some broadcast microphones are insanely expensive, but you just need a good one with some form of stand and maybe a pop shield (a foam cover or screen that stops you from creating a loud “pop” noise when you make “p” or “b” sounds). Consider options like the Blue Yeti or the HyperX QuadCast, both of which are in the $100-200 price range.
• Streaming software: OBS is all you need. It’s free and does everything, including manipulating your voice and mixing multiple cameras and feeds.
• Internet connection: A stable, fast internet connection is crucial to avoid lag and buffering. While faster is always better, most home connections should be fine.

Branding

Branding is key in any form of live broadcasting, and gaming streaming is no different. Your personal identity can either help you create a memorable channel or banish you to obscurity. You don’t want to be obscure, so check out this Toxigon article on the importance of branding in streaming and follow these branding tips:

Identity: Choose a catchy username that reflects your personality and gaming content.

• Logo and graphics: You’ll need a channel logo and overlay graphics. You can either pay someone else to create these for you using a freelance platform like Fiverr, or do it yourself using either a free service like Canva or a premium option like the Adobe suite. Don’t worry too much if this isn’t quite in place when you start. As your subs grow and you begin to make money, you can invest in more professional visuals.
• Channel description: You’d be amazed how many people forget to do this when they’re starting out. Write a channel description that tells viewers who you are and what they can expect from your streams. Such clarity will drive gaming fans to betting online which is great publicity.
• Consistency: Sticking to a streaming schedule helps build a loyal audience, but try to make sure you start out with a sustainable output. Take Imane “Pokimane” Anys as a case in point. She’s the world’s most popular video games female streamer, with more than 9 million Twitch subs, and she’s a great example of the need for a long-term view if you want to make it big. Anys, a Moroccan-Canadian, understands that achieving success as a streamer revolves around work-life balance: “There is a huge misconception that streaming and creating content for 12 hours straight, seven days a week will make you successful. While that process can certainly bring in higher numbers early on, it will absolutely lead to burnout… I choose to invest in other parts of my life on both a personal level and business front as well.”

Building a community

Streaming is social media. No community, no channel. Engaging with your audience and building a positive environment will keep gaming viewers coming back. This isn’t optional, so be sure to take note of these tips:

• Interaction: Engage with your audience by responding to chat messages. Streamlabs is an extremely popular tool that will help you organize and highlight donations and subscriber messages.
• Trolls: You’re going to have to deal with difficult people in your chat. Trolling is, unfortunately, part of the reality of streaming live, but your community will love you if you know how to respond. Check out this advice from KittyPlays, who has over 1 million subs on Twitch: “I have noticed that the more attention you give online trolls, the more they show up. It’s best not to give them the attention they crave. In doing that and treating everyone with love and respect, I have had a lot of people go from trolls or haters to integral parts of my community.”
• Social media: Promote your streams on social media platforms like Bluesky, Instagram, and TikTok. This is going to mean creating short-form videos and taking photos, but this will allow you to build periphery communities through behind-the-scenes content and highlights.
• Collaborations: Once your audience begins to build, collaborate with other streamers to reach new audiences. Networking in this way is critical in the female streaming community.

Never been easier

With the abundance of video games and the gaming world of betting online, becoming a video games female streamer has never been easier, but the reality is that you’re going to need dedication and tenacity to make it truly work. Also, you should know that only approximately 10% of the world’s most popular streamers are women, so there’s a serious gap in the market. Follow these tips and you may be in with a chance of filling it. Good luck!

The post How to Become a Successful Female Streamer: Tips and Tricks for Success appeared first on Geek Girls.

The beginning of female gaming

The birth of women’s gaming can be traced back to the late 1970s and early 1980s. During this time, a handful of video games featuring female protagonists began appearing in arcades, including Ms. Pac-Man (1981) and Donkey Kong Jr. Math (1983). These examples were groundbreaking for their time, as they allowed players to assume the role of a female character, rather than playing exclusively as male protagonists.
In the decades since, the growth of women’s gaming has been exponential. According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), 48% of gamers in 2020 are female. Furthermore, women have found success as professional esports athletes, streaming personalities, and content creators. This growth has been fueled by the success of games like Fortnite (2017) and Overwatch (2016), which feature diverse casts of characters, including both male and female protagonists.

Breaking myths

The stereotype that women don’t like gaming is based on a lack of interest in the past. For many years, video games were seen as a boy’s hobby and were geared towards male players. Games focused heavily on combat, guns, and violence which may have been unappealing to female gamers. Furthermore, the male-dominated gaming industry made it difficult for women to feel included. This created a stigma that girls would not be interested in gaming, which has unfortunately persisted over time.
However, times have changed and more and more female players are emerging. As the industry has evolved, so too have the types of games available. Many new titles feature stories centered around female characters, and many game developers have been creating products that appeal to a wider audience. With the increasing number of female gamers playing video games today, this stereotype is quickly becoming outdated. Girls are just as capable and enthusiastic about gaming as men, and it’s time for the stigma to be put to rest. It’s time for everyone to be able to enjoy the same games together, regardless of gender. Everyone deserves to have fun and play!

Will it be possible to get rid of stereotypes?

The increasing popularity of women’s gaming has also had a positive impact on social media, with numerous online communities dedicated to sharing tips and celebrating female gaming achievements. In addition, many game developers have sought to create more inclusive gaming experiences by introducing female characters and enabling gamers of all genders to play together.
As the industry continues to evolve, it is clear that girl’s gaming has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the early 1980s. With an ever-growing number of female gamers taking part in competitive gaming, streaming, and content creation, it is clear that the future of women’s gaming looks brighter than ever.

Women in Gaming Today

The rise of women in gaming has been remarkable, and with each passing year new opportunities for female gamers continue to be presented. Professional esports tournaments are becoming increasingly gender-inclusive, with teams of both men and women competing against each other on a global stage. Female streamers have also seen an increase in popularity, as more viewers turn to their channels for entertainment . Furthermore, the success of YouTube creators such as Pokimane or GuardianCon has shown that women can be just as successful as their male counterparts when it comes to video gaming. All of these factors have helped to create a more inclusive gaming environment, and are paving the way for future generations of female gamers to continue making their mark in the industry.

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According to the researchers, the loss of interest in game-making happens at a time when gender stereotypes regarding games and IT in general are gaining strength.

To illustrate this, experts from Google asked girls to draw a picture of a person who creates video games. And they found a stark difference between what young and grown-up girls draw.

Eighth-grade girls draw women – beautiful, long-haired girls sitting with glasses at a computer, while high school girls (in grades 11-12 in the United States) draw men – bald, bespectacled, fat. And this is a reflection of how perceptions change with age; how stereotypes are internalized and become an obstacle [to working in gamdean].

In general, this can be said about all technical professions – it’s harder for women to get into it, even if they have a predisposition and ability.

Education is partly to blame for this – children are not taught that there is such an industry as gamedev, and that there are a huge number of professions other than programming.

There should be more women in gamedev. At the very least, because women are a huge audience, and if they are also directly involved in development, games can become more diverse and friendly to other types of audiences.

However, not all companies have been able to achieve this so far – and, for example, deliberately including female characters in games “for a tick” is a sign of “flawed feminism.

Yes, we don’t like (and I speak for myself, too) the ticking off of boy-babes and LGBTQ characters in video games. It’s frankly a stretch. When in a game about a historical period, the developers forcibly introduce women into the setting who were not present in that context and did nothing, it looks awful. I think it’s flawed feminism.

Feminism itself only benefits video games. A variety of characters, strong and interesting female characters–can this make a game look bad if it’s done tastefully?

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There is even a separate article on Wikipedia devoted to female gamemongering. It turns out that sociologists are very interested in this topic, they even do research on the subject. The conclusions of these studies are as follows:

“Despite the fact that, according to 2015 statistics, 48% of U.S. women play computer games, only 6% of them count themselves as gamers, while among men this proportion is 15%. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, the percentage is higher, at 9% for women and 33% for men. Half of U.S. female gamers consider themselves hardcore gamers. According to EEDAR research about 60% of women gamers prefer to play mobile games and 63% of these women play multiplayer online games.

That is, women are in gaming and if research is to be believed, there are a lot of them out there. But, for some reason, we don’t see them much among the players, in chat rooms, forums and communities. Where are they? Perhaps men and women play different games? What kind of games do they play, then? If you believe the researchers, life simulation games, such as SIMS, are of particular interest to girls. Aren’t there any common genres that have equal numbers of male and female players? Why is it that the industry is full of women, but we don’t see them? Have you thought about that? What are your thoughts on this?

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