Survey Says Women Own More Gaming Consoles Than Men

A new study from the Pew Research Center on technology device ownership has uncovered the fact that more women own home video game consoles than men do. The survey which covered all sorts of technology adoption found that while the number of US adults who own game consoles has not changed overall since the last time the survey was conducted, it remains at 40%, Of those who do 42% identified themselves as female while only 37% identified as male.

While this is what the numbers say the studies’ language says there “are no differences based on gender.” This is likely because the difference between the two percentages falls within the studies margin for error. Even a dead heat is an interesting statistic. We’ve been hearing for a long time that women have become a significantly larger segment of the gaming population. This information just reinforces that idea.

While recent ESA statistics peg the number of male gamers at 56% the console ownership statistic is a little more specific. Games come in all shapes and sizes these days and while the ESA’s numbers we presume, cover all sorts of gaming, including mobile and PC, limiting the numbers to consoles shows that there are at least as many “hardcore” gamers who are women as there are men.

This survey only handled adults, those over 18, so it’s possible an inclusion of younger gamers though it’s also possible that some of those who own the consoles in this survey don’t actually use them as they may be primarily used by kids.

Still, every example that video games have become a more balanced place is a good one.