Earlier this month, Nielsen released a report indicating that the current eSports audience is over 80 percent male. However, that’s not to say women aren’t making their impact on the scene. In fact, a new report suggests that their demographic is far bigger than anyone realizes.

The research company PwC recently published a new report in its Consumer Intelligence Series, indicating that (per a survey) 22 percent of women say they’re involved with eSports. That may seem like a small number, except only 18 percent of men surveyed said they were involved.

“While the difference is relatively small, it indicates an early trend that women may be just as, if not more, engaged with eSports than males,” PwC noted in the report. “For viewing versus playing, men are playing slightly more than women, and men appear to watch from a competitive lens, while women appear to watch for enjoyment and for the social aspect of the viewing experience.”

PwC also found that a majority of eSports viewers (around 68 percent) are under the age of 35, which indicates a strong appeal to a younger audience. That said, there are a good amount of older viewers. “The increasing popularity of eSports has attracted the attention of companies industry-wide, and they are trying to reach the coveted millennial audience…” the company wrote. “As it becomes harder to reach millennials on traditional platforms, such as linear TV, companies are seeing an opportunity with eSports as its viewers tend to be highly engaged.”

While the report also shows that only 15 percent of those surveyed had awareness of eSports activities to begin with, the scene is growing, and those that tune in to one event tend to come back for a lot more.

“Viewers are just as much a part of the overall competitive gaming experience as the players itself,” said the company. “Among total viewers, PwC’s survey says one in five watch weekly, with the general eSports consumer averaging 19 days of viewing per year. Asian (27 days) and Hispanic (23 days) viewers tend to watch more frequently, with self-identified hardcore gamers watching the most at an average of 32 days a year. As for the device of choice, 57 percent of respondents who have watched a competition have done so on a laptop or desktop computer. The most favorable genre of game to watch is first-person shooter games at 63 percent, followed by multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) at 37 percent.”

Image Source