A report by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has released the SHOCKING findings (re: not so shocking) that 38% of gamers are female. The study also showed that the average female gamer played for 7.4 hours a week, with the most common platforms of choice being the Nintendo DS and the PC (particularly The Sims). According to the article on dbTechno, females are also the people who predominantly make up the casual gamer market. It was also found that many female gamers enjoy social games, such as MMOs.

Jeez, I feel like such a statistic. As a female who is permanently attached to her DS and spends way too many hours playing The Sims, I fit the profile they describe to a T (although accounting for all the DS-playing I do on the bus and Sim playing I do in front of the TV, 7.4 hours is - ahem - a conservative estimate). Does this describe other female gamers, too?

ESA report shows 38% of gamers are female [dbtechno.com, via Gamasutra]

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