Are you a Gamer?

Attention game girls, the following news may be of interest to you. According to video-game tracking site VG Chartz, Nintendo has sold an astonishing 20.9 million Wii game consoles worldwide, while Microsoft has sold 16.9 million Xbox 360s and Sony has managed to move 9.8 million PlayStation 3s (PS3).

In the world of fast-paced video games it’s not easy to make predictions, but the runaway success of the Wii highlights some trends that will be very important over the next decade, as the gaming industry matures and becomes more mainstream. Specifically, expect the demographics of the average video gamer to change significantly. The Wii's motion-sensitive controller has gotten a lot of credit for being technologically innovative, but its real genius is that it opens up gaming for people who wouldn't normally play video games.

Low-time-commitment games are also going to be huge. While it is generally true that middle-aged women won't fire up an Xbox 360 for a hair-raising session of "Bio Shock," older women definitely play puzzle games like "Solitaire" or "Bejeweled." Video game creators are already taking this to a new level, offering so-called "casual games" specifically targeted at an older, female audience. Winster.com, for instance, is focused on creating cooperative, social games that particularly appeal to this demographic. PC games are also going to grow in importance, especially for older, more educated gamers. After being widely dismissed, PC role-playing games have made a tremendous comeback.

Whether you’re a traditional gamer or not, women of the new millennium are competitive on any platform from the PC to PlayStation. Get your game on ladies and stay connected!