Adult females overthrown teen males as largest gaming demographic

[Malcador]

I'm still not sure what the distinction is here between being a sports fan. The criteria you're using sounds like the kind of thing the one with more involvement will use to disparage the one with less involvement to hide the fact that you can still be sports fan and be overly involved.

 

To be sure, I find the same thing true of the PC/anti-Console and Console/Anti-other-Console crowds. Its like someone decided that unless someone has a special badge and knows the secret handshake then they're in the club and everyone else doesn't count.

It's not a distinction between a sports fan and a gamer. In football, for example, there are fans that get into the team - know the songs, the players, history and they always sneer at fans that don't or that casually watch (prawn sandwich brigade is a common moniker for these people). So it's a similar deal.

[Amentep]

 

I'm still not sure what the distinction is here between being a sports fan. The criteria you're using sounds like the kind of thing the one with more involvement will use to disparage the one with less involvement to hide the fact that you can still be sports fan and be overly involved.

 

To be sure, I find the same thing true of the PC/anti-Console and Console/Anti-other-Console crowds. Its like someone decided that unless someone has a special badge and knows the secret handshake then they're in the club and everyone else doesn't count.

It's not a distinction between a sports fan and a gamer. In football, for example, there are fans that get into the team - know the songs, the players, history and they always sneer at fans that don't or that casually watch (prawn sandwich brigade is a common moniker for these people). So it's a similar deal.

 

Yes, I understand that. It doesn't make logical sense, but I understand it.

 

But from the perspective of the team/team owners, do you think that they only think of the one of those two fans who go to the matches, buy a ticket, buy concessions but only one knows all the teams history?

 

From a game developer perspective, if there's more money to be made in quick turn-around mobile games than in longer development for console/PC do you think they care if its "casuals" instead of "die-hards" playing?

 

Looking down at the "casuals" is meaningless **** measuring, to be honest.

Edited August 25, 2014 by Amentep

[Malcador]

Never said it made much sense, it fits though. As for the companies, well there's more money in the casual ones and they are less insane than hardcore ones.

[AwesomeOcelot]

It's pretty misleading to say every woman you know is a gamer without that context. Almost every guy I know who is under forty owns a games console, the opposite is true of the women I know, most own a tablet though. Anybody whose been to LAN parties, been in a clan/guild, or gaming forum knows there's female gamers, it's just generally not close to every woman they know.

Edited August 25, 2014 by AwesomeOcelot

[Blarghagh]

It was not my intention to be misleading, if that's what you think. In a sense, you could say I do not "know better" - it's completely normal for me, which is why it always boggles my mind when I see comments such as some of the ones I quoted. It seems strange to me when people say things such as "women only play casual games" when they do not really do any social things where they would meet gamers. I'm not denying that male gamers who play "hardcore" (if there is such a thing, I loathe to give credit to that concept) than there are female ones, but it is flat-out ridiculous to me to suggest that female "hardcore" gamers are not statistically (or otherwise) significant when you can find them in spades without even trying.

 

I am aware that my personal experience is biased (this forum is making me hyperaware of it) but I was watching my mother play Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty when I was 4. I have been literally shaped by woman gamers and it is just strange for me to imagine not knowing any.

[Malcador]

Hooray for you, then. One would need to define what is a significant amount and what one would consider a non-casual gamer, before you considering if it is ridiculous to think other than you do.

[Hamenaglar]

I don't think that we, men, need to be "afraid" that women will overtake us in RPGs as dominant demographic. How many women play p&p rpgs? A lot, probably, but my guess is they are still a significant minority.

 

I would love to see more women passionate about serious gaming. I would love to see more female engineers, particularly in computer science. I would love to see more women interested in sports, and not just watch the games when there is world cup.

 

Unfortunately, it appears most women have different interests.

[Chaz]

It's always rare for me to run into a woman in an online game, but it happens from time to time. From what I've seen men are still the overwhelming majority.

 

It's a non-issue if you ask me, I'm currently studying two careers, in one of them women are outnumbered 10 to 1 and in the other men are actually outnumbered 10 to 1, and it's not because of any kind of social injustice it's because people choose diferent things, as long as everyone is able to choose their careers (or in the case of gaming, their Hobby) freely, I don't see a problem
 

I remember watching the Star Citizen event the other day, and even if you don't like the fact that they were 99% white guys, you gotta respect that those are the guys that are making the game happen with their money, if it was only up to the supposed horde of adult women gamers that the article reports I don't think any of the kickstarter games would have made it (Including Project Eternity). So the Teenage boys from the 80's and 90's are now adults with high income that vote with their wallets and are making things like Star Citizen happen, things like Wasteland 2 and Pillars of Eternity, if you're a game developer, specially if you're a developer that got their game through kickstarter, you have to acknowledge and respect your customers.

[Nepenthe]

 

 

I'm still not sure what the distinction is here between being a sports fan. The criteria you're using sounds like the kind of thing the one with more involvement will use to disparage the one with less involvement to hide the fact that you can still be sports fan and be overly involved.To be sure, I find the same thing true of the PC/anti-Console and Console/Anti-other-Console crowds. Its like someone decided that unless someone has a special badge and knows the secret handshake then they're in the club and everyone else doesn't count.

It's not a distinction between a sports fan and a gamer. In football, for example, there are fans that get into the team - know the songs, the players, history and they always sneer at fans that don't or that casually watch (prawn sandwich brigade is a common moniker for these people). So it's a similar deal.

Yes, I understand that. It doesn't make logical sense, but I understand it.But from the perspective of the team/team owners, do you think that they only think of the one of those two fans who go to the matches, buy a ticket, buy concessions but only one knows all the teams history?From a game developer perspective, if there's more money to be made in quick turn-around mobile games than in longer development for console/PC do you think they care if its "casuals" instead of "die-hards" playing?Looking down at the "casuals" is meaningless **** measuring, to be honest.

Even sports teams will offer "extras" they think they can use to score more money from the die-hards. (Whether sideline passes, season tickets, memorabilia)

 

Using the assumed preferences of someone who only plays candy crush saga to plan your new fantasy rpg is doomed to failure - that's why the distinction is important.

Edited August 26, 2014 by Nepenthe

[Amentep]

Using the assumed preferences of someone who only plays candy crush saga to plan your new fantasy rpg is doomed to failure - that's why the distinction is important.

Who would suggest that was even a thing? It'd be like asking for the guy who designed a blender to design you a car.

 

Just because a casual gamer is still a gamer doesn't mean that every game would cater to them, surely.

[Malcador]

Well, you aim for a mix - I think there was a post by an ex WoW dev about this - of making things fun and not frustrating for casual players but making things deep and meaty for the hardcore ones to get tangled in. Focus either way and you'll end up in failure. Just my interpretation of his point, anyway.

[Nepenthe]

 

Using the assumed preferences of someone who only plays candy crush saga to plan your new fantasy rpg is doomed to failure - that's why the distinction is important.

Who would suggest that was even a thing? It'd be like asking for the guy who designed a blender to design you a car.Just because a casual gamer is still a gamer doesn't mean that every game would cater to them, surely.

They wouldn't try to reach to that "untapped potential"? Surely you jest?

[Amentep]

What untapped potential? You're not going to sell salt to a thirsty person. If you want to tap a market, tap a market, but understand the market too.

[Orogun01]

What untapped potential? You're not going to sell salt to a thirsty person. If you want to tap a market, tap a market, but understand the market too.

Don't underestimate me; I once sold ice to Eskimos and had them take out a mortgage on their igloos to pay it.

 

Also, I think we all want to tap the female market; one at a time though.

[Amentep]

Also, I think we all want to tap the female market; one at a time though.

This really needs a  on it.

Edited August 26, 2014 by Amentep

[mkreku]

Just go on any online game that uses voice chat and see if you can find 50% women. Seriously.

 

And before any of you sjw's come with your old "they don't dare show themselves because of the misogyny!!" retort, if they were 50%, what the **** would they have to be afraid of?!

 

I've been gaming for 30 years and this stupid claim pops up at least once per year. "females outnumber men in gaming".. I'm so sick of it.

[Amentep]

 

Just go on any online game that uses voice chat and see if you can find 50% women. Seriously.

They're not saying they're taking over MMORPGs, they're looking at the industry as a whole and including mobile/tablet gaming.

[Chaz]

 

Just go on any online game that uses voice chat and see if you can find 50% women. Seriously.

They're not saying they're taking over MMORPGs, they're looking at the industry as a whole and including mobile/tablet gaming.

 

 

So we can agree that core and hardcore gamers are overwhelmingly male. And judging by the picture I posted, the most enthusastic about video games.

[Malcador]

They're not saying they're taking over MMORPGs, they're looking at the industry as a whole and including mobile/tablet gaming.

Other games online that MMORPGs, you know.

[Amentep]

 

They're not saying they're taking over MMORPGs, they're looking at the industry as a whole and including mobile/tablet gaming.

Other games online that MMORPGs, you know.

 

Yes, but I didn't feel like typing a comprehensive list and figured we could make the intuitive leap to understanding the point without being exhaustive in my description.

[Malcador]

Well, snark aside, based on mkreku's criteria it's a valid point given the huge audience for online games. Might be a flaw in that though, people scare easily so women playing may not speak up due to fear of people saying stuff to them or will play with friends only and shun pubbies.

Edited August 26, 2014 by Malcador

[Chaz]

Well, snark aside, based on mkreku's criteria it's a valid point given the huge audience for online games. Might be a flaw in that though, people scare easily so women playing may not speak up due to fear of people saying stuff to them or will play with friends only and shun pubbies.

 

My best friend in swtor was a woman, even when we stopped playing years ago we still talk a lot and are looking forward to the next MMO we can play together.

[Malcador]

That's cool.

[Blarghagh]

In my personal experience (so I don't know if this is game culture standard) I don't think I've met a lot of female gamers in pickup groups, open world, random games etc. if I meet them, it tends to be in clans, guilds, that kind of thing.

 

Perhaps they don't like speaking up in open channels, as Malc said, or maybe it's just easier for them to make friends. Or whatever.

[Humanoid]

For a short period, there were more women then men in my WoW guild, but that pretty swiftly regressed to the norm as we expanded from 10s raiding to 25s. This was back in 2007, mind. My take on it is that initially it was just a little group of friends and friends-of-friends where having women in that set meant the proportion was generally kept when those friends came in. But open recruitment the ratio was probably more 5:1, if not more, in favour of men.