Numbers of female gamers are on the rise

The number of females playing console games rose five per cent in 2009 - a rise which is partly attributed to the popularity of the Wii.

The five per cent rise was recorded in a report by The NPD Group, which shows an increase in female console players from 23 per cent reported in 2008 to 28 per cent in 2009.

The rise coincides with a 19 per cent rise in the usage of Wii, suggesting many of these new female console gamers are playing the Nintendo console.

"Even with the increased competition from mobile and social network gaming, the console gamer segment added the most new participants to its ranks in the last year," commented Anita Frazier, industry analyst of The NPD Group.

In additional to its findings on female gamers, the research discovered that only 38 per cent of gamers spend time playing online - a number down from last year despite the industry's focus on online gaming.

It also studied the habits of 'extreme gamers' - a group defined by the high numbers of hours they spend playing games and titles bought every year.

These types of players account for just four per cent of total gamers, says the report, however their playing habits have become a little less extreme. While they still spend an average of 39 hours a week playing games, that average is down seven hours from 2008.