40% of gamers now female? Not on PS3 or Xbox 360 they’re not
There are certain stereotypes attributed to gaming and gamers that don’t seem to have changed despite the hobby being well over 30-years-old now. The biggest of these has to be that gaming is strictly the domain of males, with females not really that interested. But is that now changed, and are gamer girls becoming abundant?
When I was at school, gaming was strictly the purview of boys, with girls preferring instead to gossip and share make-up tips. I kid you not. But that situation has slowly and surely changed over the last 20 years and many girls now love gaming just as much as their menfolk.
According to BBC News, a recent study looking at players of EverQuest II, has determined that 40 percent of users are female, much more than most people (men) would expect. Sony, the game’s creator gave the researchers information about the players habits, with 2,400 of them answering a questionnaire in return for an in-game item.
The results of this study, which are hardly conclusive seeing as respondents were effectively bribed for their answers, have lead to some big conclusions being drawn. Lead researcher Scott Caplan of the University of Delaware used the female to male ratio to claim that stereotypes are now out of date. He said:
In many cases, stereotypes reflect what I would call a ‘cultural time lag’. What we think about men and women and video games may have been true 10 or 15 years ago, when there were mainly console video games or single-player games.
But what were seeing now is that games become social, and as these online games become communities then the attraction for that kind of behavior might increase for women. I think a lot of our stereotypes are based on the way computer games have been, rather than where they’re going.
I half agree with him. Certainly there are more women playing games now than ever before, but the types of games and even the machines females play are generally different than men. PC gaming, as evidenced by this study, are increasingly attracting a female audience, while casual games consoles such as the Wii and Nintendo DS are gaining a huge following amongst girls.
But, I still don’t think the same can be said of the PS3 and Xbox 360, the more hardcore, traditional games consoles currently on the market. Personal experience shows me that my niece loves her DS but wouldn’t even know what a PS3 or Xbox 360 was. While my sister-in-law plays the Wii avidly but apart from a quick go on Guitar Hero occasionally would turn her nose up at playing anything else.
Then there are the commenters on this here Web site, which are almost universally male. I love that girls are becoming an increasingly big part of gaming but I doubt the results of this EverQuest II study would stand up to scrutiny if the big consoles were added in. The PS3 and Xbox 360 are still almost exclusively the preserve of the male of the species.
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10 Responses to “40% of gamers now female? Not on PS3 or Xbox 360 they’re not”
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December 23rd, 2008
hAHAHAHAHAH that picture says it all…
December 24th, 2008
My wife is a member of a very large (and heavily sponsored) female clan, that has divisions for every type of online play, from PC to 360, to the PS2 and PS3. From what I have witnessed in the 3 years she has been playing with them, it is a constant growth scenario as far as new recruits, and the size of their divisions within each console, and even within each game.
Also of note, is they seem to appear to be associated with being “hardcore” even if they don’t play like average male “hardcores”. If their clan mates aren’t on, they are far less likely to just randomly play online. When in Home on the PS3, they meet in private places, understandably. The environment that online gaming exists in is horribly tainted by adolescent males, and anonymous perverts. They are all used to it, and are very good at ignoring/deflecting the horny 13 year olds and lonely 30-45s who try to treat online gaming as a dating service, and the women like chattel, but I have seen myself time and time again how tiring it can be. Its not just Home, but ANY game with voice chat or female choice in avatars will expose these creeps within 5 minutes of playing.
There very well may be a 40% ratio of women in gaming, but it would be totally understandable if they stay away from the public areas in games (which are negligently unmoderated 99% of the time) or just simply play a male avatar when its convenient.
December 24th, 2008
“The PS3 and Xbox 360 are still almost exclusively the preserve of the male of the species.”
maybe in your very small circle of friends, but there have always been a lot of females on xbox live. many use voice masking, but i have several on my friends list. your archiac beliefs are silly.
December 24th, 2008
Love that pic
December 24th, 2008
My Mrs loves giving me a good virtual kicking on Soul Caliber 4 and I must admit there’s a certain satisfaction in beating 7 shades out of her on it too.
She thinks she’ll get into Guitar Hero too (and if I can I want to see if she’ll take up the occasional racing game).
But I have to agree, far too much gaming is male.
(that pic and caption always made me smile)
December 24th, 2008
@kev
I kid I kid…
All the girls you know are online
Buzz is the popular female game in my abode. And no guys not talking about vibrators .
December 24th, 2008
yes kev… thank you for defending female gamers everywhere… after watching the VGAs I know theres another female who like to “game”…
December 24th, 2008
dwh – please go away. you’ve added nothing of any value to any of the articles on this site. no data, no information, no facts. just bashing the posters. if you need attention this bad, buy a dog. please.
December 25th, 2008
My girlfriend likes Tomb Raider (PS1 and PS2), Little Big Planet, Oblivion, Uncharted, COD4, GTA, Resistance, but HATES even the mention of Metal Gear Solid. That last part makes me sad inside.
December 27th, 2008
Kind of hypocritical eh? Any history behind the loathing?