Nintendo: We have 80 percent of girl gamer market

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 27th November 2009
Comments (26) Stumble
Nintendo: We have 80 percent of girl gamer market

Nintendo claims to have captured almost 80 percent of the female gaming market in the US.

Nintendo has recently revealed just how popular the Wii is, claiming that the platform has a total of 80 percent of the female console players market in the US.

The figures were given in a BMO Capital Markets event by Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, who went on to reveal how the Wii stacks up to other consoles when it comes to success with the 'girl gamer' market.

Not including handheld and mobile devices or PCs, Nintendo says statistics show that Microsoft is in a distant second place with 11 percent, while Sony trails behind with just 9 percent penetration.

Fils-Aime said that the female market was still a lot smaller than the male demographic in the US though - 11.7 million ladies to 33.3 million men.

Breaking those figures down; Nintendo has 9.36 million female fans, while Microsoft's Xbox 360 has 1.29 million and Sony just 1.05 million lady gamers.

"This didn't happen by accident," Fils-Aime said according to Kotaku. "It's the result of a deliberate attempt to expand the market."

Let us know your thoughts in the forums.
Quote l3v1ck 27th November 2009, 11:18
I can believe that. My wife has a Wii but shows no interest in other games consoles.
Quote pimlicosound 27th November 2009, 11:25
My wife agrees with me that the Wii and its assorted party games are rubbish. She'd much rather try to snipe me out on MW2 on X360.
Quote CardJoe 27th November 2009, 11:29
I rang my GF on the way home yesterday to see if she wanted me to pick anything up from the shops. All I got was a distracted voice that said "Joe...busy...pewing noobs"

I came home to find her hunched double over the keyboard playing the first levels of MW2, swearing like a sailor in joy/exxcitement.
Quote Mankz 27th November 2009, 11:33
^^ You sir, are a lucky man.



In some respects.
Quote Abhorsen 27th November 2009, 11:36
My Gf owns a wii, calls me a geek when i'm playing MW2 on PC or Console. I can see Nintendo's claims being true tbh.
Quote crazyceo 27th November 2009, 11:43
They dont just play house of the dead on the Wii. I know a lot of girls who use the Wii for Wii fit or Wii sports. Based on that I reckon the figures are right.
Quote erratum1 27th November 2009, 11:48
Quote:
I rang my GF on the way home yesterday to see if she wanted me to pick anything up from the shops. All I got was a distracted voice that said "Joe...busy...pewing noobs"

I came home to find her hunched double over the keyboard playing the first levels of MW2, swearing like a sailor in joy/exxcitement.

Thats great, thats the kinda girl i want, although she would have to be fit as well.

Don't want no beached whale that plays games all day.
Quote dave_c 27th November 2009, 11:51
i find the funny "We have 80 percent of girl gamer market" "Not including handheld and mobile devices or PCs"

The US owns all the soil on the planet......Not including soil outside the US.

edit:
in addition 60% of gamers are male 40% Female (source: http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2009.pdf)

Meaning 32% of gamers play on the Wii (less than a third)

42% of americans have a console but 68% of americans play games meaning 26% of gamers PC or mobile phone play


all in all they are announcing in their highest voice, "WE HAVE NOTHING TO BOAST ABOUT SO WE'RE MAKING IT UP"
Quote steveo_mcg 27th November 2009, 12:02
Basically they have 80% of the home (under the telly) console market amongst girls. Yeah for bad press releases.
Quote Digi 27th November 2009, 12:44
''while Sony trails behind with just 9 percent penetration.''

Sorry, but despite best intentions I sniggered when I read this. Anyone else?

My GF uses the Wii but she also plays counter-strike and a bit of WoW now and again. It would be nice if they could break it down into women who had never touched a PC/console game before and those that had. Would be interesting to see how many full on girl gamers there are.
Quote flibblesan 27th November 2009, 13:09
You lucky people with gamer girlfriends. Mine hates PC games :(
Quote gavomatic57 27th November 2009, 14:03
There are no decent games for adult males on the wii, so I'm not really surprised by this.
Quote Unknownsock 27th November 2009, 15:16
Wii's have potential!
But lets be honest its just become a little kids console with the occasional Mario fanboy.
Quote logan'srun 27th November 2009, 15:20
Quote:
Originally Posted by dave_c
i find the funny "We have 80 percent of girl gamer market" "Not including handheld and mobile devices or PCs"

The US owns all the soil on the planet......Not including soil outside the US.

edit:
in addition 60% of gamers are male 40% Female (source: http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2009.pdf)

Meaning 32% of gamers play on the Wii (less than a third)

42% of americans have a console but 68% of americans play games meaning 26% of gamers PC or mobile phone play


all in all they are announcing in their highest voice, "WE HAVE NOTHING TO BOAST ABOUT SO WE'RE MAKING IT UP"

Why yes - why would Nintendo compare PC to console when they are discussing their own demographic?

And the PDF you linked - if you looked closer you would see that nintendo has quite a lot to Boast about, like how they had the top 4 selling console games of 2008, and they had 12 of the top 20 (if you include NDS). So ya, I would say that having 9,36 million female fans is quite a lot to talk about.
Quote Ghys 27th November 2009, 18:08
Has the definition of "gamer" changed ? Before it was more hardcore. Nowadays as soon as you play a game once a month on your cellphone you're considered a gamer
Quote Initialised 27th November 2009, 22:12
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghys
Has the definition of "gamer" changed ? Before it was more hardcore. Nowadays as soon as you play a game once a month on your cellphone you're considered a gamer
It would be good to see their definition of a gamer. A mother who occasionally joins in with their kids on the Wii might classify. From a market research point of view the definition would be along the lines of: "I have bought a game for myself in the last X months" and "I usually play video games for at least X hours a week"

Without Nintendo's definition and survey methods this data, while encouraging, may have been massaged.
Quote proxess 28th November 2009, 13:27
My mum plays both PC and Wii. Both my parents prefer Linux (Gnome, sort-of) to Windows. It has more card games.
My mum also plays Wii-Fit (is it a game?).

She only had 4 years of schooling (old days on this Island, Madeira), my dad also, yet they're quite ahead for the time of their upbringing.
Quote leslie 28th November 2009, 14:08
Quote:
Originally Posted by Initialised
It would be good to see their definition of a gamer

If you have a Wii and play it, you probably qualify.
Quote douglatins 28th November 2009, 14:39
What I would like to see is how many games they own, i have a 360 and over 30 games, most of these girls just play music games
Quote leslie 28th November 2009, 20:00
Since when does how many games you have determine how hardcore you are?
Quote r4tch3t 30th November 2009, 09:40
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Article
"This didn't happen by accident," Fils-Aime said according to Kotaku. "It's the result of a deliberate attempt to expand the market."
So an 80% figure isn't that great, since the Xbox and Playstation are typically aimed at a male audience, so they are not targeting the girl "gamer" market also known as casual games.
Personally I don't count casual gamers as true gamers. I play tennis on occasion casually but I am not a tennis player nor do I call myself one. Secondly the ladies I have found are generally just not interested in a good game, they just don't care about them. My partner for instance thinks they are a waste of time and that I have no tangible gain from the time spent.
I would like to know how many true girl gamers use the Wii as their primary gaming console.
Quote Cyberpower-UK 30th November 2009, 13:22
Quote:
Originally Posted by r4tch3t
I play tennis on occasion casually but I am not a tennis player nor do I call myself one.
I drive to work everyday and that doesn't make me Jenson button of Ken Block but I am still a driver.
Quote B1GBUD 30th November 2009, 13:57
Nintendo penetrated my GF!! she can't get enough of it!!

NINTENDO!! I want my GF back.... in the kitchen.... cooking my dinner please!
Quote Ghys 30th November 2009, 14:09
Quote:
Originally Posted by B1GBUD
Nintendo penetrated my GF!! she can't get enough of it!!

NINTENDO!! I want my GF back.... in the kitchen.... cooking my dinner please!

rofl

how tasteless :)
Quote thehippoz 30th November 2009, 15:29
mine hates pc games too =\ she likes to make tags though.. makes hundreds of them and that community she's in trades them back and forth- what's funny to me though is as elite a tagger she's become, I can still whip her ass in photoshop on my worst day XD

sometimes she asks me how I would animate certain things.. I tried to get her to play, she even has a gaming rig.. but she finds gaming boring
Quote leslie 1st December 2009, 14:02
Quote:
Originally Posted by B1GBUD
Nintendo penetrated my GF!! she can't get enough of it!!

NINTENDO!! I want my GF back.... in the kitchen.... cooking my dinner please!

Here honey, have some (rat poison) cookies! :D
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