Girls [And Women] Got Game
Posted by casey on 09-23-2008
Last week we briefly touched on the latest Pew Study that shows that the current generation of gamers is a far cry from the anti-social stereotype many of us envision. eMarketer aggregated data from the Pew study, combined and a recent survey from comScore in a summary focused on girls and gaming further proving that old-school gaming stereotypes are no longer relevant. Check out these stats:
- The total female online gaming site audience has increased 27 percent over the past year to nearly 43 million visitors.
- Growth was even faster among female gamers ages 12 to 24, rising 55 percent, and 55 to 64, rising 43 percent.
- 94 percent of teen girls play video games regularly
- Fashion and dress-up sites and virtual worlds such as Neopets and Gaia Online helped the category grow in popularity among younger girls.
- More older women visited gaming sites because of partnerships between women's content portals and casual game sites.
- The game genres girls are most interested in include puzzles, racing, and rhythm. Interestingly, they are least interested in virtual worlds (huge surprise!) and survival horror (no surprise!).
- 40 percent of gamers are women
While these studies zero in on computer and online gaming, girls have been embracing game consoles in a big way, too. Half of the Nintendo DS users are female, largely due to the selection of entertainment, pop culture, and fashion-focused games, and it's becoming more and more acceptable for girls to show interest in games.
Nintendo plans to continue courting women, and their latest partnership with Bags To Riches, a luxury handbag "rental" company is looking to a neglected consumer as far as gaming goes - the middle-class mother. When women log on to the site to select designer purses from names like Gucci, Prada, and Louis Vuitton, to carry for the next month, they can also choose a Nintendo game to try out for the next 30 days.
I love fashion, and while my feelings about video games are rather neutral, that could be because I've never received a game console on loan with any online shopping purchase. Who knows - if I received a shiny new Nintendo with my next shoe investment, maybe I would jump on the girl gaming bandwagon. Even if that did happen, I'm not quite sure a game console could ever be considered the next "must-have accessory." From Media Post:
Samuel Mangiere, chairman and co-founder of the online handbag rental site, calls the Nintendo DS this year's must-have fashion accessory that goes well with handbags. "Carrying the Nintendo DS in your purse makes a statement because I truly believe there's a link between the DS and any belt, sunglasses or pair of shoes," he says. "It tells people: 'I'm up-to-date. I like electronics. I probably have a BlackBerry or an Apple iPhone in my purse, too.'"
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Interesting. I definitely played Nintendo when I was younger. And while I don't own anything now, if someone sat me down in front of an XBox, I'd be perfectly content. Also, I know a ton of young women who love Guitar Hero.
September 29th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
I know a lot of girl gamers who are just as efficient at kicking butt online as the guys are. Female attendance at gaming events and cons such as PAX last month Seattle or E for All this week in LA seems to be on the rise, too. Good to see the stereotypes are on their way out as they should be.