Study: 1 in 4 Women, Half of Parents are Gamers

According to a recent survey by the Entertainment Software Association, 40 percent of video gamers in North America are women and half of all parents play video games with their children at least once a week.

The report also shares other findings like the number of American households who game (67 percent), the average age of game players (34 years old), and the average age of game buyers (40 years old).

The numbers may surprise some, considering video games are thought to be targeted at most teenage boys but the female gaming population is gaining, even outnumbering boys in some cases – women over the age of 18 represent a third of all gamers, outnumbering the 20% of boys 17 or younger. Women also account for almost half of the games-buying public and the 42% who play online.

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Despite the violent first person shooter, Call of Duty 2 claiming the top spot, families are enjoying good, clean fun – 13 of the top 20 bestselling video game titles of 2009 were rated “E for Everyone”, 11 of those were for the Nintendo Wii or DS.

Parents with kids under 18 played video or computer games cited fun for the entire family, requests from the kids to play, and an opportunity to bond as the top reasons for joining in.