Cover-Credits:
AFK Gaming
Indian streaming and gaming platform Loco has been working relentlessly to put India on the global esports and streaming map. It has harnessed the market to create a closely-knit community of gamers. In addition to being a pioneer in the space, Loco hosts some of the biggest female streamers in the country. Driven by its mission to “democratize gaming,” Loco continues to prioritize inclusivity for its gaming community. On the occasion of International Women’s Day on 8th March, Loco launched a new campaign called “#SheGotGame.” Under this campaign, Loco will provide a high-visibility spot on its trending feed to budding female streamers.
Loco noted that this high-visibility spot, in addition to its existing discovery tab, will encourage women streamers to showcase their content and find new viewership. “On one Wednesday of each month starting March 2023, Loco will be dedicating a space on the platform just for up-and-coming female streamers,” added Loco.
Loco sees a 10x growth in the viewership of female streamers
Loco said in its press release that it saw a 2x growth in its female users in 2022 (year on year) and that during this period, the platform also saw a massive spike of 10x in the viewership of female streamers. Additionally, it recorded a 3x increase in the female daily active users in 2022 (year on year).
“Female gamers have been finding their groove in online gaming, consistently ranking amongst the most popular streamers and building their own audience. This has attracted more female viewership to the platform, which will encourage more female creators and lead to more inclusivity in the online gaming ecosystem,” said Loco in a release.
While in the first quarter of 2022, the number of female streamers on Loco increased tenfold, the same period saw a seven-fold increase in the number of female viewers on the platform. Notably, Loco also has an array of women streamers present from various geographies and regions across India. In 2022, the female Monthly Active Users (MAU) saw a steady three-fold growth on the platform, with strong growth from tier 2 and tier 3 markets in viewership, and content creation.
According to Loco’s report, some of the most popular games viewed by female users include Valorant, Free Fire Max, and Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 5.
Commenting on the occasion of Women’s Day, Kanika “Kani Gaming” Bisht said she is proud to see the progress the esports market has made toward inclusivity. She noted that women today are breaking gender stereotypes and are setting themselves up for success fueled by their passion. “As a female gamer, it is encouraging to see platforms like Loco provide women gamers with the right tools and resources to launch and grow their career to help shape this ecosystem admiringly,” Kani Gaming added.
Meanwhile, Loco streamer Anjali “The Bella” Atheya said, “Women are no longer shackled by gender bias and are able to follow their passion with enthusiasm. To see platforms such as Loco, support female gamers jumpstart their career and help them establish themselves in the gaming scene is inspiring.”
Providing a safe space for women streamers
Loco has played a major role in actively helping and enabling women to find their voice and shine in esports and gaming. As part of its user research, Loco stated that it found that one of the crucial aspects of retaining female viewership and streamers was the safety on the platform and the quality of comments. As a takeaway from this key consumer insight, Loco implemented its ML-driven moderation suite along with a layer of manual moderation tools for streamers, both of which enable female creators to maintain a safe streaming environment on Loco.
