Women over 55 are the biggest online gamers

It’s become something of a truism that when you’re playing a video game online and getting thrashed you are almost certainly getting beaten by a teenage boy. They are, after all, very into games and they have plenty of time on their hands in which to practice.

However, the stereotype might not be true, at least according to research from ComScore. In terms of minutes spent playing games online, the heaviest users are women aged over 55. They spend more of their time gaming than any other age group, male or female.


Now, of course, they probably aren’t playing the same games as teenage boys. In fact, the report, entitled Women on the Web, shows that women in general do not play the same games as men. They are far more likely than men to play puzzle, card and board games. Men are more likely to play action, adventure and sport games.

Another interesting finding is that there are more female than male gamers in general. In the 15-24 age group, male gamers outnumber females; in the 25-34 age group, men and women are closely matched; after 35, however, women are ahead.

The whole report is worth looking at – it covers gender differences in internet usage across a whole range of categories.