Surprise: females play video games too

This morning we're having a peek at a study conducted by the folks at The ESA on gaming culture in North America over the past year. While viral stories surrounded videos like the Jonathan McIntosh-made video (seen below) of a male-dominated E3, the world's largest gaming conference, this study shows nearly as many females play video games as males. In the United States, at least.

Behold the supposed face of gaming – from the high-end game developer's presentation side of things. Men, men, and more men.

This video suggests that male protagonists must mean a male-dominated audience. The Entertainment Software Association's study says the United States has practically the same number of female gamers as it does male.

Of 2,200 Nationally Representative USA Households:36% Female Gamers over 18

12% Female gamers under 18

= 48% Female

35% Male Gamers over 18

17% Male gamers under 18

= 52% Male

What can we infer from this simple breakdown? That while more young boys play games than young girls, once they all hit the age of 18, just as many from one camp play as the other.

One single percentage point separates the number of male gamers over 18 and female gamers over 18 in the United States today according to this study.

This follows through with the study's assertion that the average "adult gamer" male has been playing for 18 years while the "adult gamer" female has been playing for 13 years. Could it be that our North American culture makes it more acceptable for a young man to play video games than a young woman?

I say absolutely.

If you didn't believe it before, trust this study. Trust the numbers. Gaming doesn't have a gender.

But what does this mean if the female gamer population is truly as large as the male? Could it mean that the games being made today are totally fine the way they are?

Blasphemy!

Could it be that whether a gamer is male or female, they might still like the same game, regardless of content?

Very possibly.

Should game directors still keep in mind that they're not just creating stories for adolescent boys? Should they keep in mind that they've got just as much responsibility as the rest of the media makers of the world in shaping the way our culture evolves?

Of course.

Let your voice be heard – comment here and wherever else this article is shared and tell your side of the story. Do you think changes need to be made in the gaming industry in light of this newfound gender equality in the gaming population at large?

For Reference: The Entertainment Software Association conducted a survey to find this information on "more than 2,200 nationally representative households" inside North America. The study was conducted in January and February of 2014.