Study Gets Into The Minds of Women Who Game Online

The typical picture of an average online gamer, once seen as a teenage boy or an introverted, overweight, and depressed adult who spent most of their time indoors playing computer or console games, is no longer true. According to a new survey conducted online in October 2011 by Harris Interactive on behalf of GameHouse(R) among over 2,000 U.S. adults, more than half (55%) of online gamers (people who play online games on their computer, social networking sites, or mobile devices) are women. Furthermore, these women are more social and were found to have more sex than females who do not play online games.

For example, 42% of female online gamers socialize with friends and family in person at least once per day versus 31% of females who do not play online games. In addition, 86% of female online gamers socialize on social networking sites compared to 71% of those who do not play online games. It was also found that more female online gamers have sex than females who do not play online games (57% vs. 52%). However, both females who play online games and those who don't are spending a lot of time watching TV (74% of female online gamers watch TV at least once per day as well as 71% of females who don't play online games).

"Maybe if we all watched a little less TV and played more games online, we'd all be having a little more sex," said Matt Hulett, chief gamer at GameHouse, a division of RealNetworks, Inc. . "Joking aside, this survey matches up with our internal data that women are widely embracing online games with 63% of GameHouse players being women. It's nice to know that females who play online games are happy - both in their relationships and even in the bedroom."

Here are a few other surprising facts about today's females who play online games:

--  More than half are in a serious relationship. Sixty four percent are married or living with a partner, 22% have never been married, and 14% are divorced, separated, or widowed.

--  7 out of 10 are happy with their relationship status. When asked how satisfied they are in their relationship on a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being "completely satisfied" and 1 being "not at all satisfied"), 71% of female online gamers rated their current relationship status with a 6 or above.

--  She is just as active as those who don't play online games. As it relates to working out or playing sports, there was no significant difference found between those who play online games and those who don't. Forty nine percent of both females who play online games and females who do not play online games work out or play sports at least once per week or more.

--  She doesn't play online games to connect with people. Only 16% of the women who play online games say that connecting with people is why they play. More popular reasons are relieving stress (61%), alleviating boredom (58%), and providing a mental break (58%).

--  Games make her happy and feel smarter. Fifty five percent of women who play online games indicated that they are happier in their life because they play online games and 50% feel that online games make them feel smarter.

--  Mommy gamers are likely playing after their kids go to bed. With 38% of women gamers saying they have children under the age of 18 vs. 28% of females who do not play online games, 61% of female online gamers play in the evening between 8:00 pm - 11:59 pm.

--  She's older and most live in the South. Sixty four percent of female online gamers are over 35 years old with an average age of 42. Thirty five percent of female online gamers live in the South, compared to 21% in the Northeast, 22% in the Midwest and 22% in the West.

Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of GameHouse from Oct 24-26, 2011 among 2,132 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please email pr@gamehouse.com.