Gaming Women Outnumber Men

Yep, in the important 24-35 age group, the number of women gamers outnumbers men. Don't believe me? Snippet:

A new study from the Consumer Electronics Association indicates that there are many more women gamers in the 25-34 demographic than males, largely because of the popularity of the casual games market, with card games like solitaire and puzzle games like Tetris.

We already know that male pre-teen and teens are spending more time playing video games than watching television or DVDs. Note that these gamers are more likely to play console games on their Playstation or XBOX.

Casual gamers are playing a different type of game - less competitive, less violent and usually less expensive games like solitare, Tetris or other puzzle games.

The opportunity for marketing sponsorships in these casual games is actually higher than with the traditional console game. Right now, the main sponsorship option in console games is product/branding placement, such as passing a McDonald's restaurant in a racing game or passing a cologne outdoor board in a skiing race game.

Then there's Burger King who went all-out with their sponsorship in EA Sport's Fight Night Round 3. The game starts out with traditional sponsorship like logos in the boxing ring and on-screen graphics. But then, you actually get to fight the King! (with his funny, albeit creepy King-head).

With casual games, the brand can be more woven into the game itself. Budgets for development/licensing are a lot smaller, too. And these are the games that are more likely to have mobile implications - such as a download game for a mobile phone. Think if you could "weave in" proximity into these games, a la GeoCaching...

The full story from GameDaily appears here. This should likely change marketers perceptions of this yet untapped medium for reaching consumers.

-aB