Video Game Industry Reaches $91 Billion Profit: E-sports Luring Female Competitors In The Future?

Of all the years that the video game industry has existed in contemporary times, 2016 has proven to be the dawn of its so-called 'Golden Age.' It has only been this year wherein the video game companies have earned a total of $91 billion profit in all several platforms combined.

A comprehensive report published by Koalition features the sum in various gaming platforms. This categorized breakdown is based directly on the information presented by SuperData Research.

2016 Overall Profit

Due largely in part of the viral success of "Pokemon Go" and "Clash Royale", consumer spending on mobile games spiked at $40 billion. Mainstay PC and console franchise game titles generate a total of $35.8 billion and $6.6 billion respectively.

Despite being a relatively new hardware, the newly mass-produced Virtual Reality (VR) gaming platform contributed to a sizable sum of $2.7 billion in overall sales. E-sports events such as the "DoTA Tournament" generate a marginal profit of $892 million this year.

Women on Video Game Tournaments

E-sports have become so big that its growing members are already championing for diversity within its own communities. Often considered as a male-dominated arena, video game tournaments are trying to draw more women into the grand melee. Unfortunately, this transition could come at a relatively slower pace.

A report by The New York Times underscores how women are experiencing an obvious difficulty earning the respect of their male peers. The current 'single-person survivalist' tournament scheme often becomes a breeding ground for misogynistic attacks from intense heckling.

To address this difficulty, a brand manager from Bandai Namco Entertainment proposed an e-sports scheme called "Bonnie and Clyde." This type of tournament pairs one male and female participant to compete against other 'couples.' This unique incentive can lure a larger number of female gamers because of its interesting cooperative premise. By 2018, this initiative could contribute to possibly exceeding this year's overall video game industry profit.