Fact or Fiction: Women and Gaming
Today, we are kicking off a new GeekGirlCon blog series titled “Fact or Fiction.” In these posts, we hope to dissect some of the stereotypes or assumptions made about female geeks. You know, assumptions like “Geek girls don’t exist.”
To pay tribute to GeekGirlCon’s burlesque show, JOYstick!, today’s “Fact or Fiction” will focus on video games. (P.S. Tickets are going fast for JOYstick! Get your tickets now.)
Tell me, is the following statement fact or fiction: Barely any girls or women are gamers. What do you think?
Let’s take a look at some of the facts:
• According to the Entertainment Software Association, 42 percent of all game players are women.
• Women age 18 and older represent a significantly greater portion of game players (37 percent) than boys age 17 or younger (13 percent).
• Men & women are playing online PC games in almost equal numbers: 130 million women and 140 million men!
Ok, you might read these stats and think: Well, girls play more social games like Bejeweled and Farmville. Some women certainly do, but here’s another interesting fact:
Nearly 40 percent of all World of Warcraft players are women.
Wow! Women and girls certainly are gamers. Many of GeekGirlCon’s staff members rushed home to play Diablo III the day it came out. And we know a ton of you feel the same way.
Not only are women and girls avid gamers, they make games too! That is why we are so excited to have video game experts like Corrinne Yu, principle engine architect for Microsoft’s Halo video game, at GeekGirlCon ‘12.
We will also have a whole floor dedicated to gaming, where convention guests can play some amazing console games, which are brought to you by EA and PopCap games. On top of that, con-goers will be able to participate in Magic: The Gathering tournaments, try out board games with friends and family, test out their own game design skills at our Mystery Box Game Design Challenge, and join some amazing LARPing workshops.
We hope to you’ll come to our convention (buy your passes here!) and help confirm the fact that women are definitely gamers. In the meantime, tell us: What’s your favorite video game?
My favorite video game is whatever I am currently spending all of my time playing when I get home from work. Currently, that would be Diablo 3! I’m gearing my Barbarian so I can take on Inferno Act 4. I mostly play PC games including MMORPGs like SWTOR, WoW, Aion, and Korean MMOs, plus competitive online games like League of Legends and Starcraft, and RPGs with great stories like Dragon Age.
🙂 I know the feeling of getting sucked into a game. My first MMORPG was Lord of the Rings! I am definitely more into puzzle/indie games now, but I’ll still play LOTR because I love it so much!
Yep, I totally have those months where that one game sucks away your life…though I’m mostly into the Soul Calibur, Naruto Storm, and Mortal Kombat type games….
I also suffer from very stiff and crackly thumbs from too much Xboxin’!
Xboxin’ should be a clinical disease! 🙂
I love seeing stats like these – makes me feel like I’m not alone, you know? I’ve been gaming since I was a very young child, and it’s such an ingrained part of me that I honestly can’t imagine myself *not* being a gamer!
It’s difficult to narrow down one singular favourite video game, but if I had to pick, it would be Metal Gear Solid. That game is stunning in terms of characterization and storyline, and still holds up today, despite being released in 1998! Close runners up would be the Portal games, Half-Life 2, and Knights of the Old Republic. : )
Oh damn, I forgot to put Portal on my list! I loved both of them. I’m a huge puzzle/logic/cipher nerd.
So far, my favorites are the Assassin’s Creed series. I loved Fable 1/2, but the third game let me down in a big way, so it lost points. Also Arkham Asylum/City (like many, I grew up on Batman: TAS).
I don’t generally play MMOs, but I do have a 5+ year account on City of Heroes and go through periods where I want to play.
I’m really, really excited for WatchDogs to be released, too. It sounds badass.
Right now, it is all about Call of Duty 4 and Skyrim for me!
THX that’s a great ansewr!