Gamer girls are fast becoming the norm in the UK where a study has found that 52 percent of the gaming population is composed of females.
The study was conducted by Populus, an independent research agency, which published the survey results as "Gaming Revolution." The survey details not only the rise in women as video game users, but also how the gaming industry must now look at an older population for their client base.
According to the study, children and teenagers from the ages of 8 to 15 years play for the longest, clocking in an average of 20 hours a week. But in the overall population of the British gaming audience, adults aged 44 and above currently make up 27 percent of the 33.5 million Brits who play video games, while kids and teens only make up 22 percent.
The survey suggests that the advancement of smartphone technology has much to do with the shifting demographics. Games have become easily accessible on mobile devices, and freemium apps have made gaming cost nothing for those who are willing to see ads popping up in their gaming experience ever so often.
In the past, gamers had to buy pricey consoles and invest in multiple visits to stores to buy discs with the latest games. But now, anyone who has a mobile phone can enjoy video games in the palm of their hands and download games for free that are just as immersive and enjoyable as console games.
Steve Chester, director of Data and Industry Programmes at the Internet Advertising Bureau, shares the observation that mobile phones have been game-changers, so to speak.
"The internet and mobile devices have changed the gaming landscape forever. They've brought down the barriers to entry, making gaming far more accessible and opened it up to a whole new audience," he said.
That new audience includes 22 to 44-year-old women who download games to their smartphones, which are now the top platforms of choice for the new generation of UK gamers.
