GameGals Take Over
A new study shows that women are a bigger part of the game demographic than ever.
By Dan Ackerman

The classic stereotype of gamers being mostly adolescent boys is one of the biggest weights around the industry’s neck. But a new study just may be the ammo needed to prove that women make up a bigger chunk of the gaming public than most people think.

The Entertainment Software Association, formerly the IDSA, has released a study that shows some surprising trends in the gaming public. Well, surprising except to us GameGals, of course.

Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc conducted the survey, and it shows that both women and older gamers making up a bigger part of the gaming public than ever.

While men over the age of 18 are still the largest gamer demographic group, the number two group may surprise you. Women age 18 and older now make up a larger percentage of the gaming population – 26 percent -- than boys ages 6 to 17 who represent 21 percent of gamers.

Girls age 6-17 are also on the radar, scoring a respectable 12 percent.

Of course, we’ve known about these trends for a long time – and so have you, if you’re a loyal GameGal reader. But while these numbers are no surprise to us, they may have a marked effect on the industry and how it caters to girl gamers in the future.

What do you think about the increasing number of women gamers out there? Let us know on the GameGal Messageboards!