The Video Game Critic

Why is it so shocking to you that women are gamers too? I can personally name a lot of females who play video games. And not just Facebook games or mobile games, but what you would traditionally call a game. Believe me, the female demographic isn't as small as you think. It's actually pretty common. Sure, more guys play games than girls, but women playing isn't a rare occurrence, either.

Well if you want to manipulate the definition of gamer, they you could say that every woman has games on her smart phone she plays every so often.  By that measure, women probably represent the majority of gamers.

But that doesn't mean anything, does it?  And neither do studies like this.  We all know that men drive the industry.  If you ask those ladies playing Candy Crush if they consider themselves "gamers", you'll probably get some funny looks.

Sure, but there are many women out there that do play video games. Even if they are a minority, they're still an important demographic. And besides, who cares what kind of games they play? I think we as gamers need to stop being so elitist and admit that games are no longer just for kids and nerds. Games are for everyone. It doesn't matter if it's the next big budget Call Of Duty, or a free to play Facebook game, or a mobile game that doesn't appeal to traditional gamers. A game is a game, no matter how you play it, and a gamer is a gamer, no matter what they play.

And not all women play just mobile or Facebook games. My mom, for example, loves old school video games, and her favorite game is the original Legend Of Zelda. My friend, Jen, is a gamer, and she loves a lot of the same games I do, including Kingdom Hearts. My friend Ashley is probably just as big a gamer as I am, and her favorite system is the Dreamcast. No, not probably, she is as big a gamer as I am. My friend Stephanie loves video games, and she is a definite Sony fangirl. 

Those are just some examples of female gamers I know personally.

It's ridiculous to think that because a slight majority of gamers are male that women don't play games. It's like saying that because white people play more video games than black people, black people aren't gamers, or that because straight people play more video games than gay people, gay people aren't gamers. *

*I don't know if this is true or not, I'm just using it as an example.

Using anecdotes is a paltry supplement to statistics.

What your friend or mom does is irrelevant in supporting or rebutting a statistic that roughly half of gamers are female. That would be like me saying I know a few people that walked out of homes on fire, so therefore fires aren't dangerous. Its meaningless at best, intentionally misleading at worst.

Its also not elitist to want a definition of gamer. Elitist would be saying this form og gaming is better, i.e., its elite. It makes a huge difference what kind of gamer someone is in describing how gaming affects their lives and wallets. Lots of people drive vehicles, but being a casual commutter or a long haul trucker or a ambulance driver or a race car driver or a backhoe operater are all very different things. Lets not just call them all drivers and say its elitist to want to see them differently.

Also look at that number of 90% of parents are around when their kids game. That provokes such a strong feeling of rejection that it demands far more supporting information. Carl Sagan once said that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. This report has no evidence at all. No form, no definitions, no description of how information was collected, or from whom...none. Its got reputable members in the organization, but the report itself merits no respect.

No one is saying girls do not game or parents do not game with their kids, and no one is saying you cannot find anecdotes to support a statistic, just that this report is so heavily tainted by self interest and a terminal lack of supporting methodology its not worth discussing except as an educational vehicle to discuss statistics.

Ha, ha! It seems like just yesterday the Critic was removing the use of the word "gay" from all his reviews to appease some sensitive posters. Looks like it's time for the Critic to put back on his politically correct hat & let everyone know that "Girls play video games too".

Tron-I fail to see anything with the word "gay" being removed from reviews, some people would rather not see that term used in an improper manner.  Also, i'm merely saying that women gamers are not nearly as rare as many people think they are, and they are in important part of the industry and should not be treated as if they don't exist.

So wanting someone to acknowledge that female gamers are an important demographic instead of treating them like they don't matter = Me being a whiny, sensitive, butthurt PC moron.

Okay then.

We just made a discovery, thanks to this awesome thread. Women gamers exist, while a minority. Enough said.

If you think I'm sensitive, then you need to check out the Ban Bossy campaign. Those people are freaking nutjobs.