Streaming. You may have heard this word flying about the internet lately. It started out as a niche hobby for a few dedicated gamers, and it has now expanded into one of the most lucrative industries on the planet. And we aren’t talking about streaming platforms. But rather content streamers such as those found on the popular website Twitch.tv.
Live streamers use a webcam and microphone to let people watch them as they game or simply chat with guests or the audience. During these streamers the audience can chat to the streamer, interact with them, and even donate money to them. Which is why it has moved from just a hobby to something people do as their full-time job. But there is one thing that people have noticed about this industry. Female streamers tend to find more success than male streamers. But why is this?
The Gender Gap
The first reason and most obvious reason is that the majority of mainstream industries still have a huge gap in gendered pay rates. Women are still earning less than men. Which means women often seek alternative forms of money making as opposed to their male counterparts. Which means overall there are far more female streamers than male ones. So you could argue that the perceived success of female streamers is simply due to the sheer amount of them that exist on the platforms.
An Issues of Hygiene
There is a stigma associated with male gamers that is based in truth to a degree. That male gamers are often unhygienic and unfashionable. Now it would be rude to say this is true of all of them, but it can’t be denied that female streamers tend to put a lot more effort into their appearance than male ones. And this has the knock on effect of making their streams more visually appealing to view. I know I’d rather watch a well put together female steamer as opposed to a sweaty dirty male one.
Females tend to make use of beauty techniques more often than men do as well. They moisturize more, spend more time on their hair, and use advanced beauty techniques such as microneedling. If you don’t know, microneedling can give you smoother skin and having nice skin will make your stream more appealing. Hence why women tend to do better.
More Emotionally Intelligent
This isn’t true of all women, but generally speaking people who identify as female are more emotionally intelligent than men. You might wonder what this has to do with streaming video games. But often the main reason people watch streams is because they are seeking a connection with people. Loneliness is one of the main reasons people turn to streamers.
With that in mind it makes sense that people would gravitate towards female streamers over male streamers. Female streamers offer a more comfortable, hospitable environment for people to join in with. They better understand their viewers and can interact with them in a more friendly manner. And a lot of streaming viewers are typically male as well, meaning they generally favor female attention over male attention.
The Changing Tide Of Gaming
Gaming was considered a boys club for the longest time. Mainly because the types of men who dominated the field were incredibly sexist. But times are changing. Women are fighting back and proving they are just as good at gaming as their male counterparts. And people are here for it. A lot of people want to show their support for female gamers which is why they are so ready to support their streams.
