74% Of Women Are Playing Mobile Games Daily, Research Says

Research conducted by Pollfish suggests that more and more women are spending their free time playing video games on mobile. The research was conducted in collaboration with GameHouse during Women’s History Month. It included over 800 women from the US and UK. Their ages varied between 18 and 65 years old.

GameHouse issued a press release with a summary of the research. As stated in the research, 74% of women said that they play mobile video games at least once a day. The frequency varied from once to several times a day, with “33.22% playing games several times a day and 41.04% playing once or twice per day.” They were also asked whether video games make up an important part of their “me time.” 67% of women answered in the affirmative.

They believed that playing mobile video games helped them relieve stress. The research also specifically asked the women about how they would “prefer” to spend their “me time.” The majority of them said that they would “prefer” to play video games to “unwind” and “relax” during an otherwise hectic day.

73% of women aged between 35-44 years stated that they preferred playing video games on mobile in their free time. 60% of them said that they also listen to music, with 20% opting for doing DIY. Other age groups were not as enthusiastic about games, “with 25% of 45-54 year-olds and 20% of 55-64-year olds enjoying playing games in their ‘me time.’“

Overall for women aged over 18, games ranked as the 6th most preferred way to “relax” and “unwind.” Despite the lower rank, 60% of those women see gaming as “fun”, more than half of them see it as a way to “relieve stress,” and 39% of them see gaming as “a means to take a moment for themselves.”

The research also asked women about their preferred genres. 48% of them liked Bubble Shooters, 35% liked Puzzle and Word games, and 32% preferred Board and Collapse games. 42% of surveyed women said that they play games on Android, while 54% said that they play on iPhone.

The video games industry is one of the fast-growing industries in the world. So it is no surprise that there’s an ever-increasing number of women playing video games. As stated in the research, female gamers actually represent 48% of the mobile gaming industry globally.

But despite the overwhelming number, social stereotypes continue to make it difficult for women to play video games. The research states

Women continue to feel guilty about taking ‘me time’ with 34% of respondents saying they sometimes feel guilty about taking their ‘me time’; and 15% saying they frequently or always feel guilty taking ‘me time’, compared to just 7% of men. Respondents stated that often they must limit ‘me time’ to a few times per week, either just before bed time or first thing in the morning, when they are ‘free of chores’ or ‘when the husband is at work’ and ‘kids are at school’. Worse still, some don’t take it all.”