We moms have always been involved in gaming at a certain level, but for many years it was merely as the timekeeper, the person who told the children how long they were allowed to play and when it was time to quit. However, it looks like the tide has turned as women now do as much, if not more, gaming than their kids.
A recent report by the Entertainment Software Association in the US stated that 45% of gamers are now female and that 46% of those people who purchased games frequently were women. From a mom’s point of view that second stat probably won’t surprise you – you may purchase the games for your household, but does that really mean it’s you playing them too?
Still the point is well-made – women are no longer taking a back seat when it comes to gaming. The same report showed that 35% of parents would play video games with their child at least once a week and 58% of parents would do so at least once a month.
Not all the gaming that moms (and dads) do is with the kids, of course, and this includes online casino gaming. The number of websites that offer a huge selection of casino games grows daily. Sites like 32Red, Betway Casino and Spin Palace all have not only online games, but also games that can be played on the mobile, which are ideal for whiling away a commuter journey or for a few minutes’ entertainment whenever you feel like it. Take a look at online casino to see the wide variety of casino classics that are all available in one place. As there are so many casino sites to choose from, each offers a generous welcome incentive to get players to sign up with them rather than with a competitor site. So casino gaming can be better value than you might first imagine – as long as you’re self-disciplined when it comes to reloading your account with extra playing cash.
But those aren’t the only kinds of games we women play. This year, a survey by the UK Internet Advertising Bureau indicated that 56% of women who were aged 44 or more chose to play mobile puzzler games like Words with Friends and Cut the Rope rather than choosing an action or shooting game. And the same survey showed that more than half of the respondents named their mobile device as their number one gaming choice. A significant 25% of those taking part in the survey said they would play games on their mobiles every day. For many busy moms, part of the appeal of playing mobile and social media games is that there is no learning curve involved. You simply choose and download an app and start playing. The fact that many mobile games are also free-to-play is another big draw. We moms may be happy to spend money on our kids’ games, but many of us won’t pay out for games for ourselves; we’ll make do with the freebies, thanks.
The choice of mobile games rather than console games may also be an indicator that moms have less time to play than their kids. While we might play a puzzler game for five minutes while we have a cup of tea, or have a round or two of blackjack while we’re waiting for our train home, kids tend to dedicate more time to gaming and therefore choose console or pc games that require longer periods of time to play.
For many moms, gaming isn’t about sitting down to get to the next level; it’s simply a brief and fun diversion from the normal routine. And in that case, mobile games are an ideal choice, as they offer plenty of entertainment without requiring any great amount of thought or strategy. They can also be a way to socialise and for many moms who might feel isolated, it’s great to have a new social outlet that you can tap into whenever you feel like it via your mobile phone.
Maybe the number of moms playing console games will increase over time, but it seems that the main place for mom to game at the moment is on her mobile.
