Female Gamers Dominate In The U.K.
The idea of video gamers (Female Gamers) being lonely, primarily male slobs living in their parents’ basements is one that’s about as antiquated as it gets. In fact, that’s especially true in terms of the gender of that stereotype, because more females are playing games than ever before.
According to The Guardian, we are in the midst of the rise of the female gamer in the U.K., where women make up 52 percent of the gaming audience. That number is up from 49 percent just three years ago, per a recent Internet Advertising Bureau study of 4,000 U.K. residents. Interestingly enough, they also found that more adults over the age of 44 (27 percent) are playing games compared to children ages 8 to 17 (22 percent). The study also shows that the overall rise of gamers has to do with more people playing on their smartphones, with 54 percent admitting their preferred gaming device is their phone—and of course it is. It’s never been easier to be labeled as a “gamer,” because it’s also never been easier to play pretty much any type of title out there through your smart device.
Let’s say you fancy yourself a more competitive type, you can get in on serious, real-money action through the myriad options available at Betfair. This gaming platform hosts everything from arcade-style slots to poker matches for amateurs and would-be professionals alike. And it’s all accessible via your smart device, where you can start out by playing for free. All you need to do is download a demo to get started and learn the ropes of whichever game you want to learn and, perhaps, master. And if you need proof of how popular these particular games are, that same study mentioned earlier notes that 10 percent of folks play games in the gambling genre. That’s more than fitness, racing, music, and simulation.
The same goes for the most passive gamers out there who prefer booting up an app every few days or so. The folks at iMore put together a killer list ranking the best casual games out there for iPad, but don’t worry, most of them are available for iPhones in addition to Android devices. Many of the titles (such as personal favourite Clash of Clans) are also completely free to play, though you can put some cash toward upgrades if you so choose. If you’re a casual gamer, though, chances are you’ll want to avoid that and simply play whenever you want. Now you just need to read the list and see which title inspires you.
Despite the fact that smart devices make for easier gameplay, that doesn’t necessarily mean that female gamers are only getting their game on through their phones. In fact, the aforementioned study notes that almost half of female gamers (47 percent) played through a disc-based means (either a console or computer).
So what does all of this mean, then? A lot. Expect developers to continue making games that are more accessible for a bigger audience (read: easier to play). Also, here’s hoping they choose to include stronger female characters as protagonists, something that’s been a long time coming. The world could use more characters like Lara Croft (Tomb Raider, Samus Aran (Metroid), and Alyx Vance (Half-Life 2).
