Gamer Girls

It looks like I'll have to refurbish this site and paint it pink or something. Or shouldn't I?

It looks like I'll have to refurbish this site and paint it pink or something. Or shouldn't I?

The Entertainment Software Association held a poll, and their conclusions were unexpected to most:

26 percent of game players are women 18 or older, while 21 percent are boys 6 to 17. In line with that trend, adults over 50 now make up 17 percent of the gaming population, compared with 13 percent three years ago. The largest group of gamers, at 38 percent, is men 18 and up, while girls 6 to 17 account for 12 percent of game players, the poll found. The average gamer spends 6.5 hours a week playing games, while boys 6 to 17 average 7.3 hours per week of game time.

As the age of gamers has risen, so has the number of games for adults. Of all games sold in 2002, the ESA said 13.2 percent carried a "Mature" or "M" rating, up from 9.9 percent in 2001 and under 8 percent in 2000.

Hrody said she and her friends much prefer many of those mature games, like war titles, to the games specially designed and targeted by game companies at the female market, such as dancing themes or Barbie. "They don't hear enough about what the market is. I think they just assume that it's boys that are playing these games," she said. "(Girls' games are) very boring, there's no story line, it's almost like they play it down for girls."

But don't worry just yet, I won't be painting this place pink or anything like that. But this information might just reach some developers and finally make an end to games such as Barbie's Horse Adventure: Blue Ribbon Race. src: CNN

Share on Twitter or FacebookPosted on 01-09-2003 by Dennis

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