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"Women Gamers - The Facts"

These are hard facts:

(The following relate to the US market in 1999)

Console Games Players: 35% were female
PC Games Players: 43% were female

PC Entertainment Software Buyers: 49% were female
Console Software Buyers: 51% were female

Online Gamers: 53% were female

Female gamers preferred different types of games like trivia and contests genres, whilst male gamers selected action games as their favorite type of online game.

Now onto some common generalites:

Female gamers prefer non-violent, non-combative games, going for titles like Sim City or Myst.

Female gamers are put off by seeing very male oriented advertisements in the gaming press, which is why the majority of gaming magazine purchasers are male.

My view:

Ditch the bikini clad girls from the ads.
Promote more puzzle games.
Add a female section to SR's website, not necessarily a forum, although that would help, but use red instead of blue for the links backgrounds and add appropriate content, or just use a cookie feature to tell if you've got a male/female customer browsing and put it to your advantage.

There are already dedicated female gamer websites springing up on the web.

There is a major market for publishers and developers to tap into if they want to. Why haven't they? Where are the home improvement sims? The Bubble Bobble 3D sequels? The environment management RTS games?

There are plenty of female jouralists out there, why not get them into Future Publishing and Paragon Publishing and start to make a difference? If there isn't a magazine out there called Grrrl Gamer or Femme Fatale why not?

With a little application and a little daring, the gaming industry could start raking in a lot more money than they are currently taking, which could go towards making much better games for all of us, not just Gran Turismo IV and Dead or Alive V.

Console software buyers 51%???
Surely that's cuz of kids wanting games for x-mas' and birthdays, and asking "Mum, can I have Harry Potter??"

er-no wrote:
> MoJoJoJo wrote:
> "Online Gamers: 53% were female"

That's gotta
> be bull plop

Men blatently thought they would be funny in the questionnaire
> and have decided to tick the 'female' box.


I'm not so sure. It all depends what games you're playing. If you're about on Command anc Conquer and Quake, then of course they'll all be male, but take a look at something like Hearts (a VERY popular online games), and you'll see a huge number of female players.

er-no wrote:
> MoJoJoJo wrote:
> "Online Gamers: 53% were female"

That's gotta
> be bull plop

Men blatently thought they would be funny in the questionnaire
> and have decided to tick the 'female' box.

----------

Good point

And Kottonmouth, I'm sure you're Shaneo, so just leave

Let's take a look at the facts:

Console Games Players: 35% were female
I really did think it was lower than that, but it shows that gaming is getting ever so much more popular with females. If its because they do it to be popular with the guys, or they genuineley do like it is another question.

PC Games Players: 43% were female
I was really quite taken back by this. We are subjected to so much of geeky children playing PC games online in tournaments, that I gathered that the vast majority were male. Wrong again I guess!

PC Entertainment Software Buyers: 49% were female
What's meant by PC entertainment software? Can that mean DVD's, if you have a PC DVD player?

Console Software Buyers: 51% were female
This really shocked me. Female gaming is on the rise a lot!

Online Gamers: 53% were female
More online gamers are female than male!? Have we gone into the twilight zone? Note: I am not against female gamers, but just shocked.

Female gamers preferred different types of games like trivia and contests genres, whilst male gamers selected action games as their favorite type of online game.
Why am I not surprised? Females tend to, and I reitorate TEND TO prefer quiz and trivia to blasting your pal who owes you money to smitherines.

Female gamers prefer non-violent, non-combative games, going for titles like Sim City or Myst.
I can understand that, in that (with the risk of sounding sexist), females are gentle by nature, and so they prefer quite, tranquil games.

Female gamers are put off by seeing very male oriented advertisements in the gaming press, which is why the majority of gaming magazine purchasers are male.
They probably feel isolated and strange, I suspect. I'll ask my girlfriend (who is a gamer) about it and get back to you tonight with her response.

FantasyMeister wrote:
Ditch the bikini
> clad girls from the ads.


Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo :(

er-no wrote:
Men blatently thought they would be funny in the questionnaire
> and have decided to tick the 'female' box.

Ueah, I find these stats hard to believe.
Console games players: 35% female. More like 0.5%!

MoJoJoJo wrote:
> "Online Gamers: 53% were female"

That's gotta be bull plop

Men blatently thought they would be funny in the questionnaire and have decided to tick the 'female' box.

===SONICRAV---> wrote:
> What a coincidence that this was posted just after mystique went
> offline;)

D'oh
Busted

"Online Gamers: 53% were female"

That's gotta be bull plop

OK, so not every girl will tell people she's female, so we just assume they're a bloke, but SURELY the majority of online players are men/boys/blokes

If I had to pinpoint what games appeal to me (as a female gamer), I would have to say games that are either 'stylish and atmospheric' like Rez and the soon-to-be released ICO, or games that are 'fun and easy to get into' like Crazy taxi and Jet Set Radio.

I definately DON'T want to play a 'Home Improvement Sim'!