Women Athletes Are Becoming A Staple In Sport Video Games

The landscape of sports video games has been undergoing a transformation over the years as major game titles continue to integrate women athletes. Adding to this trend, EA Sports’ NHL 25 has become the latest to announce the addition of Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) players. This development follows in the footsteps of NBA 2K and EA Sports FC (FIFA), which have gradually incorporated women athletes over the years, marking an ongoing and important shift in gaming representation for women.

The Growing Visibility of Women in Sports Gaming

The evolution of women athletes in major game titles has been steady but meaningful. NBA 2K introduced WNBA teams in 2019, leading to Candace Parker becoming the first WNBA athlete to grace the game’s cover in 2021. The franchise has since expanded its WNBA content, with A’ja Wilson making history as the first WNBA global cover athlete for NBA 2K25, and entering the game with an unprecedented 99 overall rating. Similarly, EA Sports’ FIFA series has featured women’s national teams since 2015, expanding to include club teams in recent editions.

Now, the PWHL’s integration into NHL 25 represents another milestone. The partnership between EA Sports and PWHL aims to elevate women’s hockey across all levels of competition. The game will feature all six PWHL teams, complete with authentic uniforms, players, and team branding, offering fans new ways to engage with women’s professional hockey.

Impact and Importance

The inclusion of women athletes in mainstream sports games carries significant implications for visibility and representation. These games serve as powerful cultural touchstones, influencing how millions of players and potential fans perceive and engage with sports. Having women athletes featured alongside their men counterparts helps normalize their presence in the sports industry and provides young players with diverse role models.

It is also critical, however, that gaming platforms continue to recognize their role in driving inclusivity and authenticity through meaningful representation. This integration helps bridge the gap between virtual and real-world arenas, potentially inspiring the next generation of athletes and changing perceptions about women in sports.

Challenges and Work Ahead

However, recent research indicates that the path to true equity remains complex. A 2021 study published in Computers in Human Behavior revealed that when NBA 2K introduced WNBA players, some users’ reactions reflected the same gender stereotypes and biases present in traditional sports. The study identified persistent themes of men’s performance being used as the default measuring stick and concerns about women invading traditionally men-dominated spaces, highlighting how digital spaces can mirror real-world prejudices.

Technical disparities also persist. Some games offer fewer features and gameplay options for women’s teams compared to men’s, and online play functionality sometimes remains limited. These differences in implementation suggest that while progress is being made, full parity in gaming representation has not yet been achieved.

The integration of women athletes into sports video games represents both progress and potential. While each new addition marks a step forward in visibility and representation, the gaming industry’s challenge lies in ensuring these additions are more than symbolic – they must be fully realized, equally featured, and implemented with the same depth and attention to detail as their men counterparts.

That being said, as sport video games continue to evolve, the true measure of success will be when the inclusion of women athletes is no longer noteworthy for its novelty, but expected as a natural reflection of the diverse world of sports. With each new release and expansion, the gaming industry moves closer to this goal, though the journey to full equity continues.