The Future of Sports Looks Brighter When Women Are Fairly Represented

When I was a little girl, I was obsessed with Pokémon. I had eaten Yellow and moved on to Gold – mainly because, like many children at that time, I could not afford both brands of all generations. But then it came Pokémon Crystaland it caught my eye with its added gameplay, sure, but also with that beautiful, shiny blue cartridge.

That game changed my perspective more than I thought. Right from the start, Professor Elm looked at me and asked me a question that sounded simple, but was also very controversial: “Are you a boy, or a girl?” And that was the first time I played a game with a female character, and God, Kris was cool with her blue hair and the way she kicked Poké Balls instead of just throwing them! Starting that journey struck a chord with the character I saw myself in.

As I got older, that feeling didn’t change, but my awareness of the gaming industry did. I still remember the joy of escaping from the police department in Raccoon City as Claire Redfield in Resident Evil 2, passing dinosaurs with Lara Croft and two pistols in Tomb Raider, exploring labyrinths in space with Samus in Metroid, or facing scary creatures with Aya Brea in Parasite Eve.

However, as much as I loved these characters growing up, I couldn’t ignore the continuing fact: games with female characters weren’t exactly rare. I found myself literally clinging to any well-built female character that appeared, treating them like rare treasures in a sea of ​​stories told by men. Because they were – and luckily, that’s a sentence I can say firmly in the past tense.

Slightly Breaks the 9% Barrier.

I’ve worked as a sports journalist for almost ten years now, and for a long time, my personal feeling about the lack of female characters was backed up by hard numbers. I remember reading a study five years ago that showed exactly what I was hearing: according to a report by Verve Search, which analyzed more than 2,500 game releases between 2016 and 2020, only 9.2% of games featured a single female protagonist, which represents the lowest percentage in the five-year period.

To put that into perspective, you were three times more likely to play as a man than a woman during that time. And, even at high levels of critical acclaim, Game of the Year nominees have historically averaged only one female-led title per year — and sometimes, even that.

This inequality is not only visible on our screens, but also in the rooms where these games are discussed. As a journalist, I often find myself in workplaces where the women’s restrooms are completely empty because I’m the only woman in the room. It’s a constant, silent reminder of the gender gap that has defined the industry for decades. However, as we stand here in 2026, I can’t remember a time when the horizon looked full of hard-hitting women. The feeling that times are changing is undeniable – in fact, they already are.

A New Pantheon of Heroes

This sentiment indicates that we will probably never go back to numbers as low as that 9% mark, simply because the future is full of badass female characters – and some of the biggest blockbusters in the world are now led by women.

Take the highly anticipated GTA 6, for example, which introduced Lucia, a Latina woman, as one of its protagonists, putting a woman at the center of one of the industry’s biggest franchises for the first time. Because, sure, the first two GTA titles featured female characters, but that was back when the series was a ground-up experience about driving cars at high speeds.

In those days, no one really had a backstory, unique animations, or any narrative depth. Lucia represents a milestone as the first fully developed, narrative-driven female character Rockstarhistory.

Moving on, The Witcher franchise sees Geralt of Rivia hand over the silver sword to Ciri, who will lead the upcoming game. Witch 4which makes the possibilities of playing the game more exciting. Meanwhile, in a galaxy far away from Velen, The Naughty Dog is preparing Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet as its next big IP. And we can expect nothing less than an ambitious sci-fi title from these guys with a badass bounty hunter as their protagonist.

Lara Croft also has a smart way forward with two big projects: a remake of her classic debut (with T-Rex and all!) and a completely new chapter that expands the archeologist’s belief with a new generation of her subjects. Finally, God of War takes a bold step by including LaufeyKratos’ dead wife, as the lead in the new title. His journey promises a completely different play style, an exploration of Egyptian mythology, and a deeper expansion of the franchise’s great concept.

And the best part of it all is that it’s obvious that these characters were created with care. They’re not just ‘there’ for the sake of it, but they’re well-crafted heroes with dedicated stories.

Of course, this did not happen overnight. This road to the future has been paved step by step over the past few years by amazing, complex characters who have slowly proven that women can tell a story to critical and financial success. We’ve seen it with Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn, Ellie’s brutal and emotional journey in The Last of Us, Saga Anderson co-leading the psychedelic space of Alan Wake 2, Senua facing her worst fears in Hellblade, and most recently with Maelle, Lune, and Sciell controlling the breath-taking world of Clapedi Obscuring3:

All of this is a direct indication of an industry that is slowly changing internally, with many women working hard to create these worlds. According to the State of the Game Industry 2025 report from Game Developers Conferencewomen now represent 32% of game developers, a significant jump from 25% back in 2020. And honestly, who better to create well-represented, authentic female characters than women themselves? By simply bringing more diverse minds into development studios, one step at a time (and one female developer at a time), we’re seeing an increase in the types of stories and characters we get to relate to from now on. And the upcoming stacked list of female-led blockbusters points right to that future!

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Sure it took a long time, but we’ve moved from the era of looking for a character to “catch up” to a reality with a huge, diverse list to choose from. This is not to take anything away from male characters – they have always been there, and always will be (which is great!). It’s actually about acknowledging that “auto” is on the rise and there’s room for everyone.

I know it’s easy to get defensive when you talk about sex in sports. But loving a game’s story, mastering its mechanics, exploring its environments, and interacting with its characters is a universal experience. And games are best when they invite everyone to the table – or to the console, of course! To see the industry progress to the point where a little girl today doesn’t have to wait for a special blue cartridge to see herself as a hero is a good thing. It’s a great win for storytelling, as when we let different perspectives take the lead, the narrative becomes richer, the stakes feel fresh, and the “hero’s journey” finds new ways to surprise us.

The future of female characters has never looked so bright – actually, let me get that straight: the future of gaming has never looked so bright. We’re finally getting to the point where these stories aren’t just “women-led games.” It’s just great sports happening that bring women together. And I find myself a little anxious about finding a character to stick with and more excited to see how far they can take us.