pic:Emmanuel Dunand/AFPThe stereotypical gamer has been a twenty something male. And into guy things like sports or blowing stuff up.
This year it became clear that the stereotype just doesn't square with reality. Increasingly girls — and women — are gaming.
Nintendo's Wii became the top-selling(*) console this year in large part by appealing to women. More than half of active Wii users are female, according to Parks Associates.
The trend goes beyond the Wii. One of the fastest-growing segments in recent years has been so-called "casual" games, the card and puzzle games that can be played quickly and easily on a computer. The market for casual titles has grown to more than $2 billion, and women comprise three-quarters of the consumers who purchase the games.
*: in the United States
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