Women Now Dominating The Gaming Front
Oct 10 2014, 9:10 AM
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We’ve all suspected for a while now that the average gamer profile was shifting away from the teenage boy in his bedroom or the man who resembles the Comic Book guy figure in the Simpsons and now we have the stats to prove it.
According to a 2014 report by the Internet Advertising Bureau into UK gaming habits, 52% of the gamers in the UK are women. Similar statistics were also found in the US, when a 2013 Entertainment Software Association report estimated that 45% of gamers in the US are female, and that 46% of frequent game buyers are also female.
One reason behind this increase in women being counted as gamers is the increase in playing of games on smartphones and mobiles. Over half of those surveyed by the Internet Advertising Bureau (54%) named their phone as their gaming device of choice, with computers, consoles and tablets following behind in that order. More than a quarter of respondents played games on their mobile device each day.
While women might not be willing to dedicate the time needed to play console games very often, there are always a few minutes available to play a game on the mobile. Hence the reason that soaring numbers of people are now playing games like bingo and casino games on their phones.
For many women playing online games it’s as much about socialising as it is about gaming. For instance, if you play bingo you have instant access to a world of conversation through the bingo site chat rooms. If you’ve never experienced the online version of bingo, take a look at a sample online bingo site here. It’s a game that is great for when you just want to sit back and relax, as you don’t have to mark the numbers off on your cards yourself – the auto daub feature takes care of that. That leaves you free to chat to other players and makes bingo an ideal ‘coffee break’ game.
Other games that fit the socialising element of gaming would be the puzzler games like Angry Birds or Candy Crush which many players access through social media sites like Facebook. The rise in gaming is clearly linked to an increased amount of time spent on social media. As well as the fact that these kinds of game are instant play in the sense that there is nothing to learn and you can just start playing without having to learn rules or strategies, there’s also the fact that many online or mobile games are free to play that is attracting more people to play them. You can also get your friends to join in the games you are playing and share out rewards with them. The Internet Advertising Bureau survey reported that 56% of the female respondents aged 44 or more ranked mobile puzzler games above the action or shooter type games.
As well as more women playing games online and on consoles, figures also show an increase in gaming being viewed as a social activity that the family can take part in together. The online and gaming habits survey in the UK indicated that the age of gamers is going up, with 27% of gamers being aged 44 or more and 22% of gamers being teenagers. And more than a third (35%) of parents surveyed by the Entertainment Software Association played a video or computer game with their children at least once a week and 58% played with their children once a month. People also played with their partners (16%) or another family member (34%) on a regular basis.
With the ever-increasing range of mobile-friendly games and the fact that many people now see gaming as a family-friendly activity, it’s unsurprising that women are showing so much interest in gaming. Surely this trend is set to continue?
We’ve all suspected for a while now that the average gamer profile was shifting away from the teenage boy in his bedroom or the man who resembles the Comic Book guy figure in the Simpsons and now we have the stats to prove it.
According to a 2014 report by the Internet Advertising Bureau into UK gaming habits, 52% of the gamers in the UK are women. Similar statistics were also found in the US, when a 2013 Entertainment Software Association report estimated that 45% of gamers in the US are female, and that 46% of frequent game buyers are also female.
One reason behind this increase in women being counted as gamers is the increase in playing of games on smartphones and mobiles. Over half of those surveyed by the Internet Advertising Bureau (54%) named their phone as their gaming device of choice, with computers, consoles and tablets following behind in that order. More than a quarter of respondents played games on their mobile device each day.
While women might not be willing to dedicate the time needed to play console games very often, there are always a few minutes available to play a game on the mobile. Hence the reason that soaring numbers of people are now playing games like bingo and casino games on their phones.
For many women playing online games it’s as much about socialising as it is about gaming. For instance, if you play bingo you have instant access to a world of conversation through the bingo site chat rooms. If you’ve never experienced the online version of bingo, take a look at a sample online bingo site here. It’s a game that is great for when you just want to sit back and relax, as you don’t have to mark the numbers off on your cards yourself – the auto daub feature takes care of that. That leaves you free to chat to other players and makes bingo an ideal ‘coffee break’ game.
Other games that fit the socialising element of gaming would be the puzzler games like Angry Birds or Candy Crush which many players access through social media sites like Facebook. The rise in gaming is clearly linked to an increased amount of time spent on social media. As well as the fact that these kinds of game are instant play in the sense that there is nothing to learn and you can just start playing without having to learn rules or strategies, there’s also the fact that many online or mobile games are free to play that is attracting more people to play them. You can also get your friends to join in the games you are playing and share out rewards with them. The Internet Advertising Bureau survey reported that 56% of the female respondents aged 44 or more ranked mobile puzzler games above the action or shooter type games.
As well as more women playing games online and on consoles, figures also show an increase in gaming being viewed as a social activity that the family can take part in together. The online and gaming habits survey in the UK indicated that the age of gamers is going up, with 27% of gamers being aged 44 or more and 22% of gamers being teenagers. And more than a third (35%) of parents surveyed by the Entertainment Software Association played a video or computer game with their children at least once a week and 58% played with their children once a month. People also played with their partners (16%) or another family member (34%) on a regular basis.
With the ever-increasing range of mobile-friendly games and the fact that many people now see gaming as a family-friendly activity, it’s unsurprising that women are showing so much interest in gaming. Surely this trend is set to continue?
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