Female gamers (especially those older than 30): what types of games do you enjoy playing?

Question

Do you play only web-based online games? Casual games? One-player games with a narrative? Would you prefer to play a game with a female heroine? Do games based on TV shows like "How Do I Look?" interest you? Please be as descriptive as you'd like. No wrong answers here! :)

Way to represent, fellas. Check your facts first:

"Electronic Arts' casual game site Pogo.com draws 11 million unique users per month. Fifty-five percent of those are women. On the subscription side, 75 percent of the more than one million subscribers are women over the age of 35."

("Casual" games are games like those on Yahoo! games and Pogo.com.)

Ladies, thank you for your answers. Favorite games are also welcome.

Answer 1

Well, I'm a 29yr old woman. My favorite type of games would fall into the one player w/narrative category. I loved Phantasmagoria, Gabriel Knight, Grim Fandago style adventure/mystery (PC) games. Nowadays I most often play console games: GTA, Condemned, Fatal Frame. I don't play web based games too often, on occasion I will play Nerdscape, The Crims, or this Zombie game (text based, the name isn't coming to me). I still play old school games on a pretty regular bases also, like Zalaga, Centipede, Breakout, Missile Command. The TV game show games bore me, I rarely ever play those. I don't usually play sports games, but I just got a Wii, and it's a totally different experience, so I've been playing a lot of boxing, tennis, and baseball.
I would prefer having more female lead characters in a games in general, I can only think of two off hand. It a shame it's such a male dominated industry. I think if there were more characters women could identify with, more women would play. I know I'd be more likely to pick up a game with a woman on the cover, well a real woman, not some bimbo.

Answer 2

Well I will be 30 this coming Sept. I've been playing video games as far back as my male friends, my grandmother ran a bar that had arcade games and when my mom would help clean I'd stand on a bar stool playing Galaga and Ms. Pac Man. I do have to agree with The Dude to some extent as I'm the only girl in my circle of friends that plays video games with any regularity. I do love mini games like on yahoo games, lumines and tetris. Old school games like frogger, pac man and galaga. I would have to say adventure and role playing type games are my faves (Zelda, Oblivion, Mario Brother type games, Fable, Kingdom Hearts) but I also like racing games and more recently I've gotten into first person shooters. I have to admit that took me a while, had to get over motion sickness first but I've actually completed GRAW, Medal of Honor and Gears of War whereas before I might just play some co-op with my hubby. I'm not really into the narratives so much my husband gets aggravated with me b/c I fast forward through cut scenes. If given a choice I usually do pick the female character and dislike when the female characters are weaker (like in Oblivion) that sucks. I really haven't played any games based on TV shows or movies. I'm not sure if this represents other female gamers but I don't like sports games, fighting games or games where you like control an army and point and click to build towns,etc.

Answer 3

Do you play only web-based online games? Yes, I like word games best, but I do play some strategy games.

Casual games? ??

One-player games with a narrative? Sometimes

Would you prefer to play a game with a female heroine? Yes, I've played Tomb Raider and liked it.

Do games based on TV shows like "How Do I Look?" interest you? ??

I really don't have much time to play games though.

Answer 4

I'm 36 and I LOVE LOVE LOVE Guild Wars...it's an online RPG...sort of like WoW...but with no subscription, better graphics and better storylines :)

Other than that, if I want a break from GW I'll just play Yahoo games (I like Literati, Pool {when it works} Backgammon, or just whatever I'm in the mood to fill some time with) or just not bother with the computer at all.

Answer 5

Who says you cant be a gamer if you are over 30? I am 34 and I love video games. My favorites are the Sims , Grand Theft Auto, and Resident Evil series, Halo 1 and 2, Oblivion, Guitar Hero... theres nothing wrong with "older" women who play video games..I have a job and a life and I pay my taxes...and I LOVE gaming..its little boys who are afraid of LOSING to girls that make comments about them being non-existent!

Answer 6

Hello,
Here I got GNU Backgammon for free: http://bit.ly/1pUDdno

it's a perfectly working link, no scam !
GNU Backgammon is a version of the popular board game, which you can play directly on your computer. Several different games can be played against the computer, which has a powerful intelligence engine.
It's amazing.

Answer 7

At 42 I think I qualify.

I enjoy strategy games, puzzle games, RPG games, and that sort. I also play games with family members online (board and card). I enjoy WoW, Cubis 2, Bejeweled, Mystery Case Files, and Super Collapse. Just to name a few.

Answer 8

Well im 24 so im close to 30 and I play Halo 2 religiously- Gears of war, Ghost Recon- I cant wait to get my hands on Crackdown! lol But for computer games i love Starcraft! It all depends on the girl I guess my older sister is 28 and she plays the racing games but also enjoys Ghost Recon, and she cant stand Halo! lol..

Answer 9

They exist. I play Xbox Live with quite a few of them. While most females play CoD, because usually they suck at games and CoD is for people who suck at games, the ones I play with usually hit up Halo: Reach.

Answer 10

I like to play pop cap games. I enjoy playing games with my daughter, sons, niece and nephew. Play stations, game boys and so on. I'm addicted to WOW, both sons play and I get to stay in touch with them this way. I am 42 as of the 6th.