Does Platform Matter? A Game Design Analysis of Female Engagement in MOBA Games

Key insights

7 takeaways

01
King of Glory, a mobile MOBA reportedly around 54% female in China, draws substantially more female players than League of Legends, a PC MOBA with roughly 35% female participation, despite similar core mechanics, suggesting platform shapes female engagement.
02
King of Glory's accessibility advantages include simplified controls, fewer abilities, QQ and WeChat login integration, interactive tutorials, handheld mobility, and avatars that players found appealing.
03
Interviewees identified sociability as a key draw of King of Glory, while serious players of either gender often preferred League of Legends for its complexity and teamwork demands.
04
The authors conclude that accessibility and depth involve a trade-off, with mobile MOBAs prioritizing accessibility and social play over complexity.
05
The authors recommend that PC MOBAs strengthen sociable features and offer multiple difficulty levels so newcomers can enter without sacrificing competitive depth.
06
Mobile-specific constraints such as battery life and network stability are factors designers must weigh when building mobile MOBAs.
07
The study is limited to two titles and 20 semi-structured player interviews, and proposes future work on Arena of Valor, cultural influences, and cross-platform comparisons including the Nintendo Switch.

Summary

This study examines why King of Glory, a mobile MOBA reportedly around 54% female in China, appears to attract substantially more female players than League of Legends, a PC MOBA with roughly 35% female participation, despite sharing similar core mechanics. Situating the question within research linking low female representation in competitive games to gender stereotyping and hostile community environments, the authors pair a design comparison across avatars, input controls, and gameplay mechanics with 20 semi-structured player interviews. The central aim is to determine whether platform itself, rather than game content alone, shapes female engagement.

The findings point to a set of design choices in King of Glory that lower the barrier to entry: simplified controls, a reduced number of abilities, QQ and WeChat login integration, interactive tutorials, the mobility afforded by handheld play, and avatars that players perceived as appealing. Interviewees also highlighted sociability as a draw. Serious players of either gender, however, often preferred League of Legends for its complexity and teamwork demands, suggesting that accessibility and depth involve a trade-off. The authors conclude that mobile MOBAs prioritize accessibility and social play over complexity.

Based on these results, the authors argue that PC MOBAs could improve female engagement by strengthening sociable features and offering multiple difficulty levels that let newcomers enter without sacrificing competitive depth. The study also identifies mobile-specific constraints, including battery life and network stability, as factors that designers must weigh. The scope is limited to two titles and a relatively small interview sample, with the authors proposing future work on Arena of Valor, cultural influences, and cross-platform comparisons including the Nintendo Switch.