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Female Gamers on the Rise
via the Richmond Times Dispatch

by Heather Newman of the Detroit Free Press

Highlights from the Article:
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Women make up 43 percent of all video game players, according to the 2005 survey by the Entertainment Software Association. That's up from 38 percent in a similar survey in 2003. Though women aren't quite yet the majority among game players, they're involved in 55 percent of all game-buying decisions, according to the association of the video game makers.

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"I've been playing since my granddaughters got a PlayStation for Christmas one year," said Gayle Rogers, 63, of Saline, Mich. "They had a bowling game that we all enjoyed, and that hooked me into getting my own system. I play mostly the 'Everyone' type of game, like "Spyro," "Ape Escape" and so on."

But with hard-core games, - the number of female players drops to about 1 in 5.
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Still, the percentage of women in the industry is growing rapidly, with analysts agreeing that gaming companies are working to increase their gender diversity.

The number of women working in the industry has risen from 5 percent to 11.5 percent in the past few years, according to the International Game Developers Association. The majority are employed in marketing, operations and human resources.

To read the entire article, and to see a list of places to "get started on gaming," click below.

Jennifer Mirisciotti - and her custom-painted pink-and-white Xbox - represents the growing number of women who are hard-core gamers.

"I'm not a big fan of the color pink," said Mirisciotti, 24, of Eastpointe, Mich. "But when I kick some guy's butt, it hurts their ego even more to get their butt kicked by a chick with a pink Xbox!"

Women make up 43 percent of all video game players, according to the 2005 survey by the Entertainment Software Association. That's up from 38 percent in a similar survey in 2003. Though women aren't quite yet the majority among game players, they're involved in 55 percent of all game-buying decisions, according to the association of the video game makers.

And many gamers say that women have come a long, long way.

"I have found that 90 percent of the women I play against/with are better-than-average players or downright awesome," said Lora Day, 40, of Melvindale, Mich., aka "Daygirl."

You probably wouldn't want to take on 15-year-old Tanisha Walton of Detroit in football. She commonly cleans the clocks of many guys in "Madden NFL."

Not too surprising, considering that her mother and her younger sister also play.

"People are very surprised to hear I'm a gamer. And the reason is because I'm a young lady," Tanisha said. "I guess people think women are only on this earth to cook, clean, shop, talk on the phone and talk to guys."

There are also a surprising number of women who play after having picked up a controller or mouse later in life when they saw others enjoying it.

"I've been playing since my granddaughters got a PlayStation for Christmas one year," said Gayle Rogers, 63, of Saline, Mich. "They had a bowling game that we all enjoyed, and that hooked me into getting my own system. I play mostly the 'Everyone' type of game, like "Spyro," "Ape Escape" and so on."

But with hard-core games, - the number of female players drops to about 1 in 5.

Critics say the men's club of developers in these games sometimes leads to demeaning portraits of women. Frequently women are portrayed as sex objects. Or they're immoral targets of violence, like the prostitutes you can beat up for cash in "Grand Theft Auto."

Violence specifically portrayed against women, patronizing "pink" video games marketed just for girls and other gaming faux pas tend to drive women away.

Still, the percentage of women in the industry is growing rapidly, with analysts agreeing that gaming companies are working to increase their gender diversity.

The number of women working in the industry has risen from 5 percent to 11.5 percent in the past few years, according to the International Game Developers Association. The majority are employed in marketing, operations and human resources.

"The momentum is really picking up," said Sheri Graner Ray, industry veteran and author of "Gender Inclusive Game Design: Expanding the Market."

"I feel like there's hope now," she said. "I wasn't feeling that way a few years ago."

How to get started
Here are some places to start gaming:
* If you'd like to fool around with some casual games, consider www.pogo.com, which has a huge variety and 60 percent female players.