Gamer Girls

I was kind of interested to read earlier this week that females made up 41% of the video gaming market in Australia. That, actually, was a little higher than I had expected. Slowly, it seems, the industry is shrugging off the stubborn stereotype that gaming is solely the preserve of teenage boys and socially inept middle-aged men who still live with their parents.

While I haven’t looked that closely into the statistics in the UK, from what I’ve read the situation over here isn’t that dissimilar to that in Australia. Also, from a worldwide perspective, there can be little doubt that gaming amongst females is on the rise. Whatever your view of gaming, that trend isn’t necessarily a bad thing; there’s a lot to be said for gaming and it can prove a great way of reliving stress and relaxing. While negative arguments can also be made out involving the perceived uselessness of gaming and its perceived tendency to incite violence and copy-catting, let’s face it: there are a lot worse things that people could be doing with their time. What is noticeable, though, is the distinct lack of titles pitched at females – something the article points out too. That will surely change in going forwards as the industry responds to their changing customer base. So yes, in the future, there may well be more games directed at females that aren’t part of ‘The Sims’ series. Seriously!

I’m not a big gamer and have never owned my own dedicated console. I have, however, played PC games on and off over the years and am a particular fan of First Person Shooters. Most notably, I became certifiably obsessed with Half Life back in the summer of 2001. I hope my hard-core gaming days are behind me: 18 hour, non-stop gaming stints are only feasibly possible when you’re a caffeine-fuelled, compulsive teenager. For what it’s worth, I’m also rather partial to various racing games, Grand Prix 4, various rallying titles, and the Need for Speed series.

Note to self: must also get that copy of Grand Theft Auto IV I’ve been eying.