History Main / MostGamersAreMale

-->-- From the {{Fanservice}}-filled ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive 3'' commercial for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}

There is a lot of historical context behind this trope. Young males traditionally made up the vast majority of gamers, though demographics are changing. Females now make up to 45% of people playing video games[[labelnote:note]]genre and platform irrelevant, these are just raw numbers[[/labelnote]] and the average age of people playing video games continues to rise. However, the core audience for games such as shooters, racing games and action [=RPGs=] remains males aged 20 to 35. Those types of games are usually the first types of games associated with gamers. This is likely due to the popularity and controversy of video games such as ''Call of Duty'' and ''Grand Theft Auto'' which have made them well known even among non-gamers. There is an increasing number of females playing these types of games, but the player base remains mostly male.

There is a lot of historical context behind this trope. Young males traditionally made up the vast majority of gamers, though demographics are changing. Females now make up to 45% of people playing video games[[labelnote:note]]genre and platform irrelevant, these are just raw numbers[[/labelnote]] and the average age of people playing video games continues to rise. However, the core audience for games such as shooters, racing games and action RPGs remains males aged 20 to 35. Those types of games are usually the first types of games associated with gamers. This is likely due to the popularity and controversy of video games such as ''Call of Duty'' and ''Grand Theft Auto'' which have made them well known even among non-gamers. There is an increasing number of females playing these types of games, but the player base remains mostly male.

There is a lot of historical context behind this trope. Young males traditionally made up the vast majority of gamers, though demographics are changing. Females now make up to 45% of people playing video games[[labelnote:note]]genre and platform irrelevant, these are just raw numbers[[/labelnote]] and the average age of people playing video games continues to rise. However, the core audience for games such as shooters, racing games and action RPGS remains males aged 20 to 35. Those types of games are usually the first types of games associated with gamers. This is likely due to the popularity and controversy of video games such as ''Call of Duty'' and ''Grand Theft Auto'' which have made them well known even among non-gamers. There is an increasing number of females playing these types of games, but the player base remains mostly male.

This trope holds that the primary demographic for video games is males ages 15 to 25, which explains why games are full of {{Fanservice}} targeted towards heterosexual men/boys, especially in the form of {{Stripperiffic}} [[ThirdPersonSeductress female characters]], [[LudicrousGibs gratuitous violence]], and concepts that are oriented more to [[StuffBlowingUp explosions]] and racking up a high body count than plot or character development.

This trope holds that the primary demographic for video games is males ages 15 to 25, which explains why games are full of male-only {{Fanservice}}, especially in the form of {{Stripperiffic}} [[ThirdPersonSeductress female characters]], [[LudicrousGibs gratuitous violence]], and concepts that are oriented more to [[StuffBlowingUp explosions]] and racking up a high body count than plot or character development.

->'''Guy 1:''' ''"I-I only play it for the fighting. I-I appreciate the expansive multi-tier environment, and the sixteen characters...the pixel-shaded bump-mapping...and the rich plot development. Seriously, why else would I play it?"''
->'''Guy 2:''' ''"She kicks high."''

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tossgirl.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:In Japan, [[https://www.techinasia.com/what-country-has-the-most-gamer-girls 66% of gamers are female]]]]

See also RatedMForMoney and MaleGaze. Compare and contrast GamerChick and OtakuSurrogate.

See also RatedMForMoney and MaleGaze. Compare and contrast GamerChick and OtakuSurrogate.

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There is a lot of historical context behind this trope. Young males traditionally made up the vast majority of gamers, though demographics are changing. Females now make up to 45% of people playing video games and the average age of people playing video games continues to rise. However, the core audience for games such as shooters, racing games and action RPGS remains males aged 20 to 35. Those types of games are usually the first types of games associated with gamers. This is likely due to the popularity and controversy of video games such as ''Call of Duty'' and ''Grand Theft Auto'' which have made them well known even among non-gamers. There is an increasing number of females playing these types of games, but the player base remains mostly male.

->'''Guy 1:''' ''"[[IReadItForTheArticles I-I only play it for the fighting.]] I-I appreciate the expansive multi-tier environment, and the sixteen characters...the pixel-shaded bump-mapping...and the rich plot development. Seriously, why else would I play it?"''
->'''Guy 2:''' ''"[[KickChick She kicks high]]."''
-->-- From the {{Fanservice}}-filled ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive 3'' commercial for the {{Xbox}}

[[caption-width-right:350: [[GamerChick It's a rare species...right?]] Not in Japan, where [[https://www.techinasia.com/what-country-has-the-most-gamer-girls 66% of gamers are female]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350: [[GamerChick It's a rare species...right?]]]] Not in Japan, where [[https://www.techinasia.com/what-country-has-the-most-gamer-girls 66% of gamers are female]]

[[caption-width-right:350: [[GamerChick It's a rare species...right?]]]]

There is a lot of historical context behind this trope. Young male gamers traditionally being the vast majority of gamers, though demographics are changing. Female Gamers now make up to 45% of people playing video gamers and the average age of people playing video gamers continues to rise. However, the core audience for games such as Shooters, Racing games and Action RPGS remains younger males aged 20 to 35. Those types of games are usually the first types of games associated with gamers. This is likely due to the popularity and controversy of video games such as Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto which have made them well known even among non-gamers. There is an increasing number of females playing these types of games, but the player base remains mostly male.

-->--From the {{Fanservice}}-filled ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive 3'' commercial for the {{Xbox}}

This demographic did once make up a majority of gamers back in the Clinton administration. Since then things have changed - for gamers, that is, not for the industry. Although the actual statistics regarding how many women are involved in gaming vary on what kind of games are being counted, the age group, and the country and time period being studied, most widely quoted studies date back to before the advent of the tablet computer and the Wii; since then the number of female gamers has increased to the point that one 2013 study found that ''over 60%'' of gamers are women. Yes, over half, though it varies enormously by genre. And the average age of gamers has risen to 35.

This demographic did once make up a majority of gamers...say, back in the Clinton Administration. Since then, though, things have changed - for gamers, that is, not for the industry. Although the actual statistics regarding how many women are involved in gaming vary on what kind of games are being counted, the age group, and the country and time period being studied, most widely quoted studies date back to before the advent of the tablet computer and the Wii; since then the number of female gamers has increased to the point that one 2013 study found that ''over 60%'' of gamers are women. Yes, over half, though it varies enormously by genera. And the average age of gamers has risen to 35. So the average gamer isn't the high-school kid saving up his allowance to buy GTA V: it's his mother.

This demographic did once make up a majority of gamers...say, back in the Clinton Administration. Since then, though, things have changed - for gamers, that is, not for the industry. Although the actual statistics regarding how many women are involved in gaming vary on what kind of games are being counted, the age group, and the country and time period being studied, most widely quoted studies date back to before the advent of the tablet computer and the Wii; since then the number of female gamers has increased to the point that one 2013 study found that ''over 60%'' of gamers are women. Yes, over half. And the average age of gamers has risen to 35. So the average gamer isn't the high-school kid saving up his allowance to buy GTA V: it's his mother.

-->--From the {{Fanservice}}-filled ''DeadOrAlive 3'' commercial for the {{Xbox}}

See also RatedMForMoney and MaleGaze. Compare and Contrast with GamerChick and OtakuSurrogate.

[[caption-width-right:350: [[GamerChick It's a rare species!]]]]

The primary demographic for video games is still males ages 15 to 25, with everything that implies. This is slowly changing, but video game developers and publishers still do quite a bit of PanderingToTheBase. Expect {{Fanservice}}, especially in the form of {{Stripperiffic}} [[ThirdPersonSeductress female characters]], [[LudicrousGibs gratuitous violence]], and concepts that are oriented more to [[StuffBlowingUp explosions]] and racking up a high body count than plot or character development.

People who are not males between the ages of 15 and 25 can still enjoy games, but because most publishers are aiming for a young male demographic, other players can expect some jarring moments that remind them they're not the target audience.

The actual statistics regarding how many women make up the demographic vary on what kind of games are being counted, the age group, and from study to study. The percentage usually falls somewhere between 20-45%. The opinions on why women are the minority demographic vary.

People who are not males between the ages of 15 and 25 can still enjoy games, but they should always keep in mind who the publishers are aiming for, and adjust their expectations accordingly. We're getting there, but it's not all Creator/WilliamShakespeare yet.

The actual statistics regarding how many women make up the demographic vary on what kind of games are being counted, the age group, and from study to study. The percentage usually falls somewhere between 20-40%. The opinions on why women are the minority demographic vary.