Josh Shipp has an interesting blurb over on his blog about girl gamers. Seems that the video game manufacturers have realized--shock! awe!--that girls also like to play video games.
Unlike dudes, who tend to opt for games that are heavy on the blood, gore and/or action oriented activities, girl gamers prefer “social and collaborative games with less competition and more opportunity for personalization and nurturing.” I would also garner a guess that more girls actively participate in virtual worlds than boys.
So does this mean that girl gamers only like games that feature kittens, ponies and unicorns? Uh, no!
Like any generalization, it's important to remember that the results are only as good as the group that was surveyed. Regardless of gender, it's important to keep in mind that there are a wide variety of games and gamers who fall across the spectrum.
And if you look at the comment section on the Hey Josh post, you'll find plenty of girl gamers who aren't afraid to shoot em up with the best of the gamer guys.
All of this comes on the heels of a report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project that found that, when it comes to video games, "playing is universal, with almost all teens playing games and at least half playing games on a given day."
Even more importantly, and defying stereotypes, the Pew Study found that "game playing is also social, with most teens playing games with others at least some of the time."
So fire up that Wii and get your game on. Just remember to take a break.
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