Ben-DutkaThe female contingent of avid gamers continues to grow.
According to a new report from The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), we find that nearly half of all gamers – about 45% – are female. This was part of the 2013 Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Game Industry, as conducted by Ipsos MediaCT . The poll in question featured over 2,000 "nationally representative" households, whatever that means.
Interestingly, the report also noted that adult women comprised about 31% of the overall gamer population, which is significantly higher than boys 17 and younger (19%). The latter group is obviously what the mainstream considers to be the dominant demographic, but that hasn't been true for a while. Another point worth noting was that 46% of the time, women were the most frequent game purchasers. The study also asked parents about the effect video games have on children, and a surprising 52% said they thought the effect was positive.
As for the female gamers, we always have to ask the same question when we see these findings: What is the percentage of core gamers? They've been saying for years that nearly half of all gamers are female but if you stake out any given GameStop for a day, 80-90% of all customers who enter are male. The problem with these studies is that they often don't differentiate; girls love playing little games on their smartphones, so they qualify as "gamers" in those statistics.
Of course, there is indeed an increasing number of female gamers out there. But to say that half the hardcore group in the world is female…? That still seems highly unlikely. How many women did you see in the audience during E3 presentations? Answer: Not very many.
I always knew there were more women gamers than boys, but not almost half of core gamers. Whenever I go to Gamestop, for instance, I'm like the only girl looking at anything besides Wii games. Except for the woman who works there. yeah, no way we make up half, around 40% I say.
So you're saying you believe four of every ten gamers (as how we define the term) is a female?
Last edited by Beamboom on 6/18/2013 3:29:57 AM
Something like that.
Absolutely, I think that percentage might be higher now. The groups that do these surveys understand the word "gamer" differently than the people here. Women tend to play smart phone apps, and with the mainstream success of candy crush saga, tons of women have become "gamers". Of course, there are tons of female gamers playing hardcore console games and destroying others in Call of Duty, but males still dominate in number the purchasers of big budget games.
Last edited by PSN French on 6/19/2013 2:04:04 AM
Womenfolk is good.
It's probably worth noting that female gamers reportedly tend to get harassed at video game conventions (sad but true). I imagine that may very well give female gamers a pretty decent reason not to show up at E3 or similar gatherings.
I know I never mention I play games or go to gaming events. I don't want immature males to say anything to me.
I care not for female gamers lol. Most of the time they don't play as well as guys. I remember running into this female gamer in Starhawk and blowing her up like a twelve times with my tank… she just kept coming back for more lol… of course I could mention other instances but you guys get the point.
No, we don't get the point.
Lol good luck with that
I do kind of take exception to the trend of saying "yeah you may game, but your not a HARDCORE gamer." Thats like saying "yeah you watch football but your not a football FAN." I know Im in the minority but if you play games your a gamer, hardcore or not. There should not be 2 classes of gamers, just one, those that play.
My mother, who's 56, plays games. Does she play Uncharted or GTA or anything like that? No, she plays the point and clicks and the find the picture games. Doesnt mean she is any less of a gamer. She gets a new game and she plays the HELL out of it. Sometimes 4 or 5 hours straight. Thats HARDCORE if you ask me.
Lets stop putting each other into categories. If you play, your a gamer. Welcome, and lets all work together to make our hobby better.
P.S. Some of the "hardcore" gamers remind me of snobby surfers. The "this is my spot" kind of mentality. They harrass and threaten people who arent in their clique and that in turn ruins the fun for others. Dont be that guy.
Last edited by wackazoa on 6/18/2013 11:18:24 AM
I so totally share your sentiment about this "hardcore" vs "casual" categorization of gamers.
It's just too elitish for my taste. Also, aren't we all casual now and then? I know I am.
Agree totally with this.
Even if there was only 1 woman in the audience at E3, she still deserves respect and representation for playing freaking games.
This should not be a hard concept.
Not that I'm being particular about anything, but who plays a racing game with a joystick? (pokes fun at picture) My girlfriend and her 3 sisters game, They have their own Halo and CoD team >_<. Its quite something to behold really.
*sigh* Does the percentages really matter?
What I mean to say is "gamers" are "gamers" regardless of gender….it would be expected that there would be a significantly lower number of "hardcore" female gamers.
While I don't think it's up to 45%…maybe 25-30%?
It wouldn't be so far-fetched to believe that a lot of female gamers remain ambiguous about their gender, for various reasons…so we may never actually know what the male-to-female ratio of hardcore gamers is. (I think I'm kinda digressing here, but I hope I made my point).
Point well taken, Ninja. I have actually talked to, and I do mean talked to on voice and video chat, females in Playstation Home that play a lot of games. Most of the games they play are Final Fantasy and a lot of Japanese imports, but they do play a lot of games. I think they are a silent minority. I don't know if the numbers are quite what the article said, but they probably aren't as far away as many would think.
That's what I mean 🙂
Despite the genre of games they play, whether it be CoD or Uncharted…for the most part it's easier to stay silent (It may be due to harrasment or people making a big deal for no reason).
I can speak from experience; the only time I feel it's relevant to state my gender is if I'm asked directly. Otherwise it's just assumed that everyone in the chat or the room (or whatever) is a male.
I know I'm guilty of making that same mistake.
A lot of the time it isn't obvious unless they have a name like "GurlGamerxx55<3" or something equally ridiculous.
I have to admit that I usually see about 50% of the shoppers in a Gamestop to be female, but they are mothers waiting to pay for their kids games or girlfriends waiting impatiently for their boyfriends.
Well then , i guess 40 % of them live on the moon .
I don't buy games often but when I'm not ridiculously busy with studies I play a lot. Just because my PS3 game library doesn't have 100 games like I bet most of you do doesn't mean I don't still buy games.
Another article of yes maybe there are female gamers out there but… Yawn…
Maybe the incredibly stupid question of but are they hardcore "like us" or whatever doesn't need to be asked?