Traditionally, gaming is an area reserved mainly for boys and men. However, this rule does not apply anymore. A number of studies show that ladies are stepping up their game. In fact, they may soon surpass male gamers in number.
Female Domination
A new report by the Entertainment Software Association has discovered that ratio between male and female gamers is almost 50:50. According to it, today women make up 48% of the gaming fans, whereas men account for the remaining 52%. In contrast, less than a decade ago, male games dominated the market with a share of 63%.
The next key finding made by the same association is even more shocking – adult women are more avid gamers than teen boys. The study has estimated that grownup ladies are almost 20% more compared to teen male gamers. This is more than surprising given that teenage boys are considered a top consumer group on the gaming market. Also, more and more ladies in their 50s or beyond have started to discover the joy of gaming. The Entertainment Software Association shares that their number has jumped by over 33% in the past few years.
Mobile Shift
Unfortunately, the report by the Entertainment Software Association does not reveal the possible reasons behind this shift. Fortunately, however, other studies have attempted to provide an answer. Among them is a research by Euromonitor, which explains that mobile gadgets, like tablets and smartphones, have encouraged this new consumer tendency. It shares that gaming is no longer limited to video consoles and PCs and that mobile games also fall in the gaming category.
To illustrate this picture the report adds that the growth rate of mobile game sales has been impressive over the last three years. In 2011, for instance, mobile games registered a sales increase of 50% and in 2012 it was measured at 30%. Although the growth rate of mobile game sales has started to slow down, it still continues to rise up. Moreover, very soon, the mobile gaming market may challenge the remaining digital gaming market.
Namely, mobile games are among female gamers’ favourites. Video gaming on consoles, like Xbox and PlayStation, continue to be a territory dominated by male gamers. Similar is the case in PC gaming.
Nevertheless, the term “gamer” is still widely reserved only for people who regularly play video games on consoles and computers and not on mobile devices. However, given the astonishing rise of mobile technology and mobile gaming in particular, the word’s meaning has become more generalized.
