A recent study from an unlikely source has put a spotlight on the importance of games to their female players. Seems that women are just as likely to play online as their male counterparts.
The survey of 2,052 people was commissioned by Doritos and found that 49 per cent of women play online games, almost matching the 50 per cent of men that game online.
But that’s not all. The results threw into upheaval some basic assumptions of how games fit into our daily lives.
Of these female online gamers, 84 per cent said they enjoy their gaming sessions, compared to just 70 per cent who enjoy sex. 62 per cent enjoy working out, 71 per cent enjoy shopping and 75 per cent enjoy having a bath.
Ergo: Games are Better Than Sex.
The study coincided with the launch of the Facebook game, Doritos Dip Desperado. I don’t know what’s more worrisome: The veiled sexism of the study’s chosen hobbies; that one-quarter of females don’t enjoy taking a bath (how exactly are you doing this wrong?); the abundance of misinterpreted conclusions following this study (mine included); or that a maker of flavored corn chips is the driving force behind such figures on gaming’s ever-increasing demographic.
–Jon Irwin