Sun, 24 Aug 2025

Sun, 24 Aug 2025 Women aren't just 'cosy gamers' - I play horror games and 600,000 watch

Once thought of as a male-dominated pastime, the number of women streaming and playing video games is growing rapidly.
Alyce Rocha, also known as Alyska, makes a living by streaming games online to her 585,000 followers. She claims that sharing an experience with others is what makes gaming appealing. The UK Games Industry Census states that women make up around half of the game-playing public, and Alyce says part of her role is challenging perceptions about the types of games women enjoy. Alyce streams a mix of puzzle, strategy, and action games, including horror titles that she initially disliked but now enjoys due to audience demand. Her stream's female viewership has increased to around 10% in recent years. As one of the smaller names in the scene, Alyce earns a "respectable" wage from her streams, which take place six hours a day, seven days a week, with morning admin and managing multiple accounts on platforms like Twitch and YouTube. The gaming industry is worth more than music, TV, and film combined, with revenue projected to reach £13.7bn in the UK alone this year. Despite young women playing games as much as men, the streaming sector audience is still predominantly male. Women are becoming more vocal about their love of gaming, and there's a noticeable shift away from over-sexualized female characters in games towards more rounded portrayals. Alyce says that she and other women have always been gamers but were previously quieter about it. A group called Black Girl Gamers has grown to over 10,000 members worldwide, providing a community for black female players to connect with each other. Members of the group share their experiences of how gaming has helped them cope with daily struggles, including those unique to black women. The group also offers a safe space on its Discord platform for discussion and support, helping to combat the toxic elements of the wider online gaming community.
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