Ms. Pacman begins eating up the world of video games

Women play bigger role in gaming market

David Wylie, For Canwest News Service

Published: Vancouver Sun, Wednesday, November 12, 2008

When Marcie McIndoe found herself on maternity leave during a snowy Ontario winter, she turned to the world of video games for fun and friendship.

“Gaming has provided a major social outlet for me,” she says. “I was on maternity leave all winter. And when there are feet of snow outside, to be able to turn on the Xbox and laugh with friends is such a joy, and a necessary one.” McIndoe, 33, is no longer considered an anomaly in what was once a testosterone-dominated digital world. About half of those who play who play video games are female, according to recent surveys in both Canada and the U.S.

A new study by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada found that half of Canadian gamers are women. Meanwhile, 40 per cent of Americans who play video games are female, says an annual survey conducted for the Entertainment Software Association. The Ipsos MediaCT survey, released earlier this year, found that women 18 and older represent an even bigger slice of the gaming pie (33 per cent) than boys 17 and younger. “No longer is there a stereotypical gamer,” said Michael Gallagher, CEO of the software association.

That’s a finding McIndoe says she’s experienced while playing games.

“I game with people who dropped out of high school, and with doctors, with single people and with grandparents. I can connect with stay-at-home moms, and with CEOs,” she says. “The one thing that binds us all is that we enjoy playing video games.”

McIndoe, an Ottawa resident, says she was drawn by the social aspect of video games, and is involved in Internet forums and online groups interested in specific games, a gathering known as a “clan.” She also plays with groups of people while at home.

McIndoe says she has been drawn to video games since she was a kid. And it’s a hobby she says has its benefits.

“Things really took off once I met my husband; we didn’t have a lot of money, so we would stay up and play video games together. To be honest, it was him working the controller and me shouting instructions—truly the beginning of a happy marriage.”

The female touch has permeated the gaming community. There are female-focused tournaments, such as the Halo 3-based Fight Like a Girl tournament that benefits breast cancer research; all-girl clans—including the PMS Clan and the Frag Dolls; and the development of many more women-centred games, such as Dance Dance Revolution.

“It’s interactive entertainment, and to me, that has a greater appeal than passive entertainment like watching TV,” says McIndoe.

Brenna Pierson, 23, says she also loves video games, especially the fast-paced frenzy of first-person shooting games. The Canadian turned her love of games into a part-time job in showbiz. Pierson toured Canada in 2007 representing G4 Tech TV, and trying to increase the gaming-focused TV station’s audience here.

She says she isn’t surprised that half of video gamers are women.

“I’m not surprised at all—we are starting to sweep the nation,” she says. “No matter what game I put in my 360, my Wii, even on my PC, there is always lots of girls. I’m glad that more women are getting involved in gaming, it’s so much fun.”

Despite their growing numbers, women are fighting for equality in the digital world, says Pierson.

“The problem today is that marketing is directed more toward males. They don’t make the games as appealing to women, so it’s hard for a non-gaming girl to really see what the appeal is,” she says.

Pierson, who grew up in Alberta, but now lives in New York City, first started playing video games after her dad bought her a Nintendo for her fifth birthday. She says the Internet has played a big role in the increased female presence.

“It brings together women from all over the world into one spot where they can relate to one another with no hassle,” she says.

She also says Nintendo’s latest console, the Wii, has drawn more women into the gaming world, partly because of the ease of its use. The motion-sensing controller has fewer buttons, and Nintendo has introduced games focused on Yoga and getting fit.

”[Wii] brought in a whole new generation of gamers,” says Pierson. “My grandma even plays, she loves bowling.”

Pierson encourages women to try playing.

“Don’t be afraid of what anyone is going to think, do it for yourself, it’s tons of fun,” she says.