40 percent of video gamers female, survey finds

Jeff Richgels  —  8/23/2008 5:43 pm

The stereotype of the geeky teenage boy video gamer is cut to ribbons by a new survey by the video game industry's trade group.

Forty percent of gamers are women, with adult women a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (33 percent) than boys age 17 or younger (18 percent), the Entertainment Software Association said in a press release Thursday.  

One woman gamer told The Capital Times she wasn't surprised by the overall findings but didn't imagine the percentage was that high.

"It is awesome that there are that many of us out there," Deanna Bernstein said in an e-mail interview. "I frequent with a lot of people that game and there are women in that group and I hear a lot about extension groups that also have a lot of female participants."

Juliane Ober, another woman gamer, also was surprised at how high the percentage was, but noted that the many of the games are produced in the U.S.

"I assume that the number is higher (in the U.S.) than in Europe," Ober, who is from Germany, said in an e-mail.

Bernstein loves virtually everything about gaming.

"I game because I love the graphics, I love the fantasy, I love the violence, I love the gore, I love the cooperative in some games," she said. " I like being able to leave the day-to-day stresses and pretend for a while that I am Hunter Blood Elf with a saber tooth tiger for a pet saving the world from the undead. Or that I am a guitarist in a rock band with tons of adoring fans. It is fun."

Ober also said she games as a release from the stress of the workday.

"I am well educated and have to think a lot during the day, so I like to get away from it all and just play," she said. "I stated gaming when I saw that one of my favorite (role playing games) is also a video game and kept going with shooting games because my boyfriend had a lot."

Ober said many women may get into gaming to share a hobby with a boyfriend/partner/husband who is into gaming.

The strength of the stereotype of the teenage boy gamer can be seen in game marketing, Ober said.

"The commercials for video games show clearly that the target group is male," she said. "They assume women are not interested in most of the games, because they are either very strategy based or a have a lot of violence."

The survey also found that the average age of game players has risen to 35, with one out of four gamers over age 50. And it found that 65 percent of U.S. households play computer and video games, and 38 percent of American homes have a video game console.

"This new data underscores the fundamental principle that computer and video games are a mainstream entertainment form, which captures the imagination of every segment of our society," ESA CEO Michael D. Gallagher said in a statement. "No longer is there a stereotypical gamer. With deeper market penetration and the broadening of our audience base, video games have incorporated themselves into America's cultural and social fabric."

Bernstein thinks it's clear that gaming is mainstream, noting that gaming is not struggling like some sectors of the economy.

"I could be biased though because my husband works at Raven Software," the Middleton-based gaming company, she said.

The survey found that 41 percent of Americans expect to purchase one or more games this year.

Ober said a person's view on gaming depends on their age and what they do.

"A lot of younger people would say yes," she said. "My Mom would say yes, because she is a teacher and sees how many of her students like video games. My father and a lot of people in his age (60) would say no."

The survey also found that 94 percent of parents are present when games are purchased or rented, 88 percent of parents report always or sometimes monitoring the games their children play, and 63 percent of parents believe games are a positive part of their children's lives.

Based on unit sales, 85 percent of the games sold last year were rated "Everyone (E)," "Everyone 10+ (E10+)" or "Teen (T)." Just 15 percent of the games sold in 2007 were rated "Mature (M)."

The data included in the 2008 Essential Facts was gathered in an annual study conducted by Ipsos MediaCT for the ESA, with data gathered from more than 1,200 nationally representative households that have been identified as owning either or both a video game console or personal computer used to run entertainment software.

Jeff Richgels  —  8/23/2008 5:43 pm