Gaming Habits among Genders

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As the gaming industry continues to progress, and become a bigger part of society, more people begin to become interested in games. However, game developers must decide how the games are constructed and who their target consumer is. Most games in circulation today are based on the interests of the male demographic. This raises the question, “What causes different preferences in games among gender?” There will always be distinctive characteristics that stand out between males and females, but pertaining to the gaming, there are major attributes that affect preference such as, exposure, goals, and values. The gaming industry brought in $18.8 billion dollars, an increase of 40 percent compared to the prior year. In 2007 267.8 million games were sold, averaging out to about 540 games being bought per minute. The exposure of games is widely spread, 68 percent of households in the U.S. play games. The difference of however is, the amount of girls and boys playing. A study conducted of 236 students showed 75.8 percent were gamers. This group of students 91.3 percent of the boys played either computer or videos. However, only 54.1 percent of the girls played videos games. Another factor in exposure is game placement, which means where the games are placed in the home. The most common place that has been found is in the ‘ bedroom, which limits girls’ access. The level of exposure differs greatly in the two genders which also limits the opportunities where girls can play other girls in games, while increasing the interactions between males. The games produced by companies contain many different types of game play, but the most common types of games are action and adventure. The games are being played by majority of both genders, but st... ... middle of paper ... ...girls, during game play revolve around the values, goals of genders, and exposure. Works Cited • Eow, Yee Leng, et al. "Form one students’ engagement with computer games and its effect on their academic achievement in a Malaysian secondary school." Computers & Education 53.4 (2009): 1082-1091. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 8 Oct. 2009. • Leahy, Natasha "The Hidden Life of Girls: Games of Stance, Status and Exclusion." Children & Society 22.2 (2008): 144-145. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 8 Oct. 2009. • Hayes, Elisabeth "Women, Video Gaming & Learning: Beyond Stereotypes." TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning 49.5 (2005): 23-28. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 8 Oct. 2009. • Investment U, The Oxford Club. “The Video Game Industry: An $18 Billion Entertainment Juggernaut.” Google. 5 Aug. 2008. Web. 8 Oct. 2009.

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