Whether it’s a subconscious thought or careful consideration, entertainment has seemingly adhered to an invisible genre-gender code for decades. If you enjoy romcom novels, period pieces and female-centric comedies, then you have to be a woman. If you enjoy hardcore action films, run-and-gun video games or suspense-filled reads, then there’s a likely chance you’re a man.
It wasn’t until recently, with the rise of BookTok, comfy video games and more, that these gender stereotypes began to be challenged.
According to the Entertainment Software Association, video game players in the past year have hit nearly an equal gender split, with 48% of players being women and 51% being men.
Many games, such as “The Sims,” “Stardew Valley,” “Animal Crossing” and “Minecraft” — all simulator games — have large, diverse female playerbases. However, even the “cozy game” genre is beginning to grow a stale, sexist attitude. Luckily, this genre is far from the only type that women play.
A report by tryevidence.com shows that two popular game series that have large female player bases include EA’s “FIFA” as well as Rockstar’s “Grand Theft Auto V.”
Even though the “cozy sim” genre is female-led, more data from tryevidence.com proves that the sim genre actually ranks fairly low for genre preferences by female players.
Out of 100 women who took the survey, 91 players said they enjoyed RPGs the most — think “Baldur’s Gate 3,” “Persona,” “Dragon Age” and “Skyrim.”
This is followed up by other genres such as action-adventure, logic games and platformers.
2024’s theatrical box office draws also featured high female audiences for expectedly male-focused films.
“Dune: Part 2,” which opened to $81.5 million domestically in March 2024, had a surprisingly large female audience. Although the audience did skew male-heavy at 59%, women making up the other 41% is impressive considering the sci-fi genre is historically male-leaning.
However, it’s in the fantasy genre that changes in gender norms have been the most apparent.
While fantasy was ruled by a majority male audience in the 80s — with “Dungeons & Dragons” and “The Lord of the Rings” ruling the scene — this is no longer the landscape of the genre.
Following COVID-19 and the birth of “BookTok,” a community space on TikTok dedicated to book lovers, the literary industry has boomed once again, with popular bookstores such as “Barnes & Noble” finding their way back to survival through the increase in interest.
A part of this rise was due to the growing popularity of the romantasy genre, which has been accepted by female readers with open arms. Throughout all of 2024, the top 5 New York Times best sellers had at least one romantasy book included, ranging from Rebecca Yarros’ “Fourth Wing” series to Sarah J. Maas’ “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series. And as shown through the video game statistics discussed earlier, the fantasy genre in gaming — as well as table to gaming — has received a massive increase in female players in recent years.