Gaming has been an avid pursuit of boys and men. Companies like Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo and others have traditionally created games that appealed primarily to the male demographic. Quite recently the Inquisitr reported a remarkable increase in female gamers. The fairer gender was increasingly keen to play premium games, apart from trivial ones on their smartphones.
However, latest figures indicate the game companies will have to completely rethink their marketing and creative strategies. As reported by the Internet Advertising Bureau , there are more women than men who actively play video games. Though the pivotal shift has been observed only in the U.K. for now, Statistics compiled by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), an American industry body, indicate that the gap between male gamers and female gamers in the United States is narrowing at an accelerated rate.
If the trend continues, the balance could switch soon. In simple terms, the world now has more female gamers than ever before and they are challenging the male dominion.
What do the women want? As expected, the smartphone based games are more popular among women. But interestingly, even in the hardcore gaming segment, these virtual femme fatales are showing a growing interest. Smartphone based gaming is closely followed by PC based gaming (54 percent). Moreover, dedicated console gamers aren’t far behind (45 percent) and women regularly play games on tablets (44 percent) as well.
As for the preferred genre, the sorts of games that are popular reflect the devices on which they are played. A third of all respondents in IAB’s survey said they prefer trivia and puzzle games (like Candy Crush Saga), to action games and first-person shooters (FPSs), which are favored by fewer than 20 percent of gamers. Looks like female gamers still don’t like the blood and gore or run-n-gun type of games, which the male gamers simply adore.
If split by gender, the differences in preference become even more apparent. The single most popular genre among young women is puzzle games, and the most popular genre among young men is shooters, reported Metro .
When the demographics are segregated as per age, U.K. has more senior gamers as compared to America. IAB’s study reveals that while a smaller percentage of Britons aged 45 or older have played a game in the past six months, in total, they account for a much larger share of gamers than any other group. On the other hand, the ESA’s study of gamers in the U.S indicated the number of women gamers over 50 increased by a third from 2012 to 2013. If that’s not a sure indicator of the shift in the gaming industry, twice as many adult American women were found to play games as boys aged 18 or younger.
[Image Credit | Internet Advertising Bureau]
