Every year the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) publishes a new report about the facts and figures of the gaming industry in America. Due to my profession (I work with numbers) I like those: facts and figures with some graphics added to it! What got my attention too was that not only 44% of gamers are women nowadays, but also that there are more women over 18 years old gaming (33%) then teenage boys under 18 (15%). I guess the stereotype isn’t really true anymore.
The average age of frequent female gamers is 43, and gamers have an average of 13 years of experience under their belt. They didn’t specify the number of years of experience for women only, but I do think a lot of the ladies have grown up playing games on their dedicated gaming consoles. The comment you’ll read most around the internet about these facts is that most ladies will probably be playing social games on their mobile devices, like Candy Crush and HayDay. But I’ve said it before and will say it again: even if that were true, and from experience I doubt that it is, then who decides what defines a real gamer?
I think the right definition of being a gamer is when you have fun playing whatever game you’re currently into, and that you feel that games offer you value for the money and the time spent playing them. If you feel that playing games is more rewarding then watching a television show or a movie, because you can see progress and you have the feeling you can influence the game by what you choose. That’s a gamer to me.
The ESA report gives information on the kind of games people play and on what devices they play them. It also shows the role parents play in the gaming behaviour of their children, and how a lot of parents play games together with their kids and view this as quality time. You can view the report here.
Which brings me to my question for you: I’ve made this little survey to see whether Ladiesgamers reading base is representative. I’m curious to see how many of my readers are female, and what kind of games they play. So I would like to ask you to take the survey! Thanks for your trouble!
If for some reason you don’t see the survey here, you can find the link here.
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Average age is 43? I remember a time when people mocked me for playing games, as they were meant for kids.
The gaming world is definately changing!
And I was often asked if the game I bought was for my kid!
With the average age being 43, I say things have really changed. Another thought is that the gamers have grown up and still play. I started playing 27 years ago. I turn into a 61 year old gamer in about a week and a half. Still love it.
Right! So I guess I’m not the oldest one here, lol. I think that’s one of the reasons more women are in gaming too. A lot of the ladies I game with have grown up too with their SNES or GameBoy.