- Rise of social gaming on sites such as Facebook lures in female gamers
- Smartphones and tablets key to rise in female gaming
- Average age of female gamers is now 42
By Daily Mail Reporter
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Stereotypically, they have taken on the role of the disapproving girlfriend, arms folded, eyes rolling, as the boys huddle around a glowing television, gripping controllers as they go into battle.
Women, however, are no longer an enigma in the hardcore gaming community.
In fact, professional women are dedicating hours a week to video games - comprising 42 per cent of gamers, according to the Entertainment Software Association.
A growing demographic: A woman shows Sony's PlayStation Vita handheld gaming device at Tokyo Game Show in Chiba, on September 15, 2011
As the Star Tribune reports, that statistic includes games played on handheld devices, such as solitaire and 'Angry Birds' which are popular with women.
But hardcore games are reportedly becoming increasingly popular with the demographic.
Game Informer magazine executive editor Andrew Reiner said the appeal of games such 'Call of Duty' and 'Mass Effect' defy gender stereotypes. He estimates 50 percent of the website's users are female.
'It's escapism. It's competitive. It's fun. It's entertainment,' he told the Tribune.
Taking the wheel: A computer game is demonstrated in November during a news conference to showcase Toyota Motor Corp's new robots aimed at supporting nursing and healthcare efforts
Female gamers: Visitors play 'World of Warcraft' at an exhibition stand during the Gamescom 2011 fair in Cologne, Germany on August 18
At the controls: A 2011 Bond University report commissioned by the Games and Entertainment Association found that female representation in gaming equal to males was 'imminent'
'The storytelling has improved, as well as the graphics and realism. The games have a wider appeal and more people as a whole are playing.'
That theory seems to be echoed by recent studies, which show a growing interest among 30- and 40-something-year-old women in particular.
A 2011 Bond University report commissioned by the Games and Entertainment Association found that female representation in gaming equal to males was 'imminent', as the popularity of smartphones and tablets increases in households.
The report's author, Jeffrey Brand, told The Sunday Age: 'We saw girls increasingly get into gaming in the late 1990s and of course these girls are now women (playing games) and many of these women have children.'
Hardcore fans: Costumed gamers pose during the sales start of the computer game 'World of Warcraft: Cataclysm' at the Borsigturm in Berlin, Germany, on December 6, 2010
All dressed up: Krista Keith is Riluu from 'World of Warcraft' at BlizzCon at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anahiem, California in October, 2010
A 2011 online survey of 2,000 people conducted by Harris Interactive found that 64 per cent of female online gamers are over 35, with an average age of 42; and 38 per cent of female gamers said they have children under the age of 18.
Brand noted women appeared to favour strategy, first-person shooter, role-playing, sports and racing games; puzzle, board, card, simulation and fighting games were more popular among men. Adventure games were equally popular.
But even as the gap closes between the sexes, women are still battling gender stereotypes.
Enthusiasts: A performer plays a game on an iPad while waiting for a Beijing opera performance in September, left; right, Lyz Brickley of Victorville is pictured in costume at BlizzCon 2010
Making an entrance: Chastity Easley-Bosley, from El Dorado Hills, left, is dressed as Avasiel at BlizzCon 2010; right, Lisa McKeever, from Mission Viejo, is dressed as a Mage in Arena Season 2
Going all out: Leslie Crystal Sandoval, left, is dressed as a blood elf mage at BlizzCon 2010; right, Heather Scofield is dressed as a spirit healer
Annette Gonzalez, a community manager for game development studio Harmonix, told the Tribune: 'If you talk to a guy they will call female gamers "female gamers." Female gamers will call themselves "gamers."
'It's strange to attach gender to that, because it makes you feel like a bit of an anomaly,' she said.
On screen, the same appears to be true - with Lara Croft in 'Tomb Raider' and Samus Aran of Nintendo's 'Metroid' series being exceptions to the rule as strong female protagonists.
Web developer and lifelong gamer Kath Carnell, 28, told The Sunday Age: 'There's quite a bit of condescending and patronizing behaviour happening in the games industry.
'There are games clearly aimed at younger girls that are cooking and fashion and modelling. I think it's absolutely abhorrent... the message is, other games are no fun at all. Let the boys play those games.'
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