Women choosing games over sleep and young girls getting into virtual worlds, apparently.

Last week turned out to be an interesting one for those concerned with the behaviour and profile of female gamers. Two studies, one by Entertainment For All and the other by the NPD Group both explored current and emerging trends among female demographics with some enlightening and entertaining observations.

The first study was conducted throughout September 2008 by Entertainment For All in conjunction with women’s lifestyle sitePoshMama.com and was the sum total of a poll of more than 120 of the site’s members on their gaming habits. The survey’s biggest finding: Of those polled, 71% claimed to be gamers and that videogames play a greater and more central role to the lives of many women than previously assumed.

Among the statistics to come out of that gaming subsection included the finding that 32% play while on the phone; 20% while at work or in a meeting; and 12% while preparing for work. Furthermore, the survey found that many would prefer to spend their spare time gaming rather than other menial activities such as sleeping and that 53% claimed to have been late for a social appointment as a direct result of playing video games.

If there is anything to be taken from this survey it’s that female gamers are far more serious about the medium as a past time than might be assumed. Furthermore, the way that the female and casual markets are so often lumped together is not only crass and inappropriate but also utterly irrelevant. However, it is possible to argue against the creditability of this particular study. Posh Mama is a website and social network of technically literate and otherwise affluent women and as such this sample of 120 of its members is unlikely to be representative of the entire female population.

On top of all that, Entertainment for All is an organisation with a cause and this study is undoubtedly part of its promotion. Testament to that are the words of Mary Dolaher, CEO of IDG World Expo, the body which owns and operates E for All. She said: "This survey shows that many women place great value and high priority on video games in their lives, and E for All will be the place for them, their families, and gamers of all types to be this October.”

The NPD survey explored specifically the gaming behaviour of girls between the ages of two and 14, offering insights into how this lucrative demographic spends its time, and more important for marketers, its money. The report found that while young girls are spending as much time as ever with traditional platforms of play like physical toys and games that there is an emerging migration among tweens towards computer games. In particularly, virtual worlds.

“Girls, in general, are famously social creatures,” said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. “The growth in use of social networking and virtual world websites by girls is a natural extension of this core value which needs to be recognized by manufacturers who count girls as primary market for their goods and services.”

What these two surveys don’t do (or at least shouldn’t) is surprise anyone with the news that women game and that they have their own unique personal relationships with the medium separate from any general or mainstream notion of what it is to be a gamer. What these surveys do in fact is cement and put the anecdotal evidence into context; justify the work of major publishers and console manufacturers in expanding the appeal of the medium; and, create a basis upon which to conduct further research into this long established but still little understood demographic.