Gaming Trend: Adult Women Steal Lead from Under-18 Males

The adult female gaming demographic now doubles the under-18 male gaming demographic, according to The Entertainment Software Association’s annual sales, demographics and usage data report. While 17 percent of video game users are males under the age of 18, women over the age of 18 now account for 36 percent. In total, males account for 52 percent of the total gaming population, a three percent drop from last year. However, there has also been a 32 percent increase in female gamers over 50 years old.

These numbers show a five percent increase in adult women and a two percent decrease in under-18 males from last year. The report finds that the average game player is 31 years old. And those who are gaming more today are spending less time watching television and movies.

ESA_Gaming_Report_2014

“People of all ages play video games,” said Jason Allaire, associate professor of psychology at North Carolina State University. “There is no longer a ‘stereotype game player,’ but instead a game player could be your grandparent, your boss, or even your professor.”

ESA’s annual report, released on Thursday, noted a significant jump in the casual/social game arena (55 percent on mobile devices), and found that men and women act equally as “frequent game purchasers.”

However, the ESA does not track digital platform sales figures, such as in-app purchases in the iOS App Store and Stream.

“To fill in those cracks, a PBS report pointed to an early-August study by mobile advertising company Flurry Analytics, which found that women players spent over 30 percent more money on mobile games via in-app purchases than men,” reports Ars Technica.

The ESA’s findings are available as a PDF online.

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