A new survey by Entertainment for All, a consumer video game expo taking place from October 3-5, 2008 in Los Angeles and PoshMama.com, an online community exclusive to women around the world has uncovered some unusual gaming trends in women.
The survey results, gathered in September, find that more than one-third of women respondents play video games when they should be sleeping, if given an extra hour of free time at home. Many participants also said they played games in unusual circumstances such as: while on the phone (32%), while at work/in a meeting (20%), and while getting ready for work (12%).
“Playing video games is becoming an increasingly popular pastime for women, which isn’t surprising given that it’s a great way to spend time with family and friends, have some fun and even blow off some steam,” said Heather Weaver, Technology Contributor at PoshMama.com and author of GeekMomMashup.com, who helped create the survey.
“The surprising element, as revealed in our survey, is that it is actually keeping women up at night. This and the other results reveal that the traditional video game industry has fundamentally changed—and will continue to evolve—as more and more women take over the video game controls,” Weaver added, in a news release.
Further findings show that more than half of respondents (53%) have been late for meetings with friends or family due to playing games. Almost one-fifth (18.5%) said that video games have made them late for work or a meeting, and the same number (18.5%) reported that playing has led them to be late for a personal appointment, like a visit to the dentist or the doctor. Almost two-thirds of participants (64%) said that they play video games because they either enjoy it or they want to spend time with their friends and family.
“Video games are truly entertainment for all — from busy women to hard core game players,” said Mary Dolaher, Chief Executive Officer of IDG World Expo, which owns and operates E for All. “This survey shows that many women place great value and high priority on video games in their lives.”