Women aren't just 'cosy gamers' - I play horror games and 600,000 watch

Although figures show young women now play games just as much as men, the streaming sector audience is still predominantly male according to YouGov. Blockbuster titles like Fifa and Call of Duty mirror this.

Frankie Ward, an eSports gamer and presenter, says this is a lot about who games are being marketed to.

"In the past gaming has kind of been this protected identity that men have held on to very strongly.

"Women are being a lot more vocal about the fact that they're gamers, and they're becoming a lot prouder to say so."

In the industry, there's also been a noticeable departure from the over-sexualised, female characters of yesteryear, toward more rounded portrayals.

Games like The Last of Us, partly moulded by writers like Halley Gross, boast layered female characters at their core. Elsewhere, Life is Strange and Bloom and Rage have woven the realities of teenage life and womanhood - from periods to sexuality and body image - into their wider narratives.

Reflecting on the shift, Alyce says there have always been women gamers, but they've just been "quieter about it" - until now.

"I've been gaming since I was a child." she says. "I didn't know anyone in my school who was a girl who played games, whereas now it's so easy to find communities and streamers who are women who you can talk to and game with."

This can help when dealing with the toxic elements of the wider online gaming community that persist more than a decade on from GamerGate.

Adaobi, another Black Girl Gamer, says the camaraderie buffers the times when she joins public online game sessions outside the group and faces misogynistic or racist abuse.

"I know if I turn on my mic and I open my mouth [to talk during an online game], somebody's not going be happy with it," she says. In response, she's begun telling men who abuse her to simply "do better".

Others, like Deanne, opt to mute interactions. "I just turn it off. I don't listen to them. The scoreboard will tell everything," she quips.

To help combat these shared negative experiences, the community has launched a 'venting' channel on its Discord social media platform. A safe, member-only space for discussion and support.

Gaming then, is no longer a solitary experience, but an online world that can be a positive gateway to real-world understanding and connection.

For Iesha, be it playing online with others or watching a stream, gaming has also become an emotional refuge to navigate feelings.

"Gaming has helped me through some tough times, including family loss and grief," she says. "Some of these games allow you to experience these emotions in gentle ways."

And, as she emphasises, the shared journey makes all the difference. "I'm going through stuff…they're going through stuff - but we can get through it," she says. "That's gaming".