Yet Another Stat That Proves The Male Gamer Stereotype Is A Farce

We already knew that adult women outnumbered male teens in video game use. But now, with new data from a Pew Research Center survey, we know that women play an even bigger role in the gaming community. Of the 40% of Americans who own a video game console, 42% are women and only 37% are men. By "game console," the survey refers to systems like Xbox or PlayStation and omits handheld devices. Given how female gamers have been pushed aside in the past due to their penchant for casual mobile games (rather than so-called "real" games that use a console as their platform), this distinction is key. Women are playing all kinds of video games, and demonstrating their commitment to the hobby with their purchases.

Admittedly, the difference is not immense — and this Pew study only took into account console owners over age 18 (a detail that could explain why other studies have put the number of male versus female gamers at 59% to 41%). But given the current state of gender relations in gaming — where women are rarely considered to be an equal presence, let alone a major one — it's still worth celebrating. It's a shame that women's dedication to video games must be proven with an arsenal of statistics. Hopefully in the future, the only thing that will matter is our impressive kill-death ratio.