Men Play Bored Housewife Video Games Too... They Just Don't Like To Admit It

from the it's-all-fun-and-games dept

Tue, Oct 30th 2007 4:21pm — Mike Masnick

In the past, casual video games have often been referred to as "bored housewife" games, as they were thought to mostly be popular with older women, rather than the traditional video gaming market, which most people considered to be popular with younger guys. However, it seems like that breakdown is a bit misleading, as a new study shows that men are just as likely to play casual video games, they're just a lot less likely to admit to it. Anyone wonder if that's true in the other direction as well? Perhaps a lot more women enjoy playing first person shooters and don't like to admit it. Either way, this really just highlights that game makers probably should stop worrying about "games for women" or "games for guys" and simply focus on making games people like. The success of the Nintendo Wii seems to support that plan. As for the bored housewife description... perhaps we can just change it to bored employees and be happy.

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Filed Under: bored housewife, casual games, video games

19 Comments

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Dan, 30 Oct 2007 @ 5:52pm

I'll readily admit to playing those games. I played Zuma so much i would have to use visine to rewet my eyes from staring at the screen.
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dualboot, 30 Oct 2007 @ 5:58pm

Housewife's favorite games: GOW + Crackdown
I'll admit, my favorite games are Gears of War, Crackdown + Bio Shock. Hubby and I are competitively skilled... so am I the exception for admitting it, or did they ever actually ask us "bored housewives" at all? I don't recall anyone ever asking, and I go to geeky tech events.
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Max Powers at http://ConsumerFight.com, 30 Oct 2007 @ 7:05pm

Bored Housewife Games?
I met my wife 27 years ago at a miniature golf course in Texas while she was playing Asteroids. If I ever said that Pac Man, Tetris, and other classics were "Bored Housewife Games", I would have to pick me teeth up from the floor and make an appointment for the dentist.

Back then, and even now, why would I be afraid to admit I like these classic casual games?

Oh yeah, I forgot. I'm considered old now so I could care less what anybody else thinks.

By the way, my wife also never got the survey.
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George, 30 Oct 2007 @ 7:12pm

housewife's games
hmmmm... why would men play 'bored houswives's game ?
Aren't their housewives around to be played with ?
hmmmm....
figure this one out ;)
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Gloria, 30 Oct 2007 @ 7:28pm

He's right (George) - occasional game is OK, but beer drinking, on-line game playing (any), cheering for a football team that is a bunch of great looking men on steroids with gold chains (and hardly being able to spell their own name) and a "warrior" look is SAD!
Men (most) are boring and selfish assholes whose lives depend on making deals and getting a blowjob for sex (As opposed to making their wives 'happy' in bed - time equalling an average football game). Any of these great football (etc.) stars read a book lately? Can they eat with a fork and knife and pick a bottle of wine with dinner? And my husband worships jerks like that ? With "war" paint on their faces and going to jail for abuse, rape, DWIs ? I am not going to resolve myself to such relationships nor playing mindless games - "bored houswives' games. Go hunting - I hope my husband will get accidentally shot!
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Oct 2007 @ 8:42pm

Gloria certainly sounds like a happy girl!
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Anonymous Sloth, 30 Oct 2007 @ 9:51pm

Hell yes. Who decided that the only games that "count" are the twitchy violent ones at which only twelve-year-olds (physically or mentally) with no other meaningful pursuits can excel?
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Danny, 30 Oct 2007 @ 9:55pm

I play both...
You can only dedicate so many nights in a row to the latest Zelda game before you have to take a break and play something else. I just finished up Lego Star Wars so I'll have to pick up a new (or I might blow the dust of Super Puzzle Fighter) casual game soon to use for breaks between Twilight Princess sessions.

And Gloria really does sound happy.
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Jeremy, 31 Oct 2007 @ 5:04am

Who has the time?
I don't have the free time to spend hours just learning to play the game. The last "game for boys" I enjoyed was NFL QB Club '96 for the Sega Genesis! Nowadays I have three kids and a wife plus a desire to unwind with mindless entertainment. I want a game that I can play for ten minutes and get some fulfillment from the time spent doing it.
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James, 31 Oct 2007 @ 6:19am

games are games
Women aside, there are men out there who are stay at home dads who spend a little time playing games on Yahoo, Pogo, etc. These games are for the general public. "Bored Housewife Games" just isn't broad enough, maybe "Bored Human Games"?
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TheDock22, 31 Oct 2007 @ 7:06am

Personally,
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TheDock22, 31 Oct 2007 @ 7:08am

Personally,
I'm not a fan of the first-person shooter games because I don't like guns. Give me a character with a sword or bows/arrows and I'll play all day and night. I also like the racing games and role-playing games. I'm just not into the shooting.
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Oct 2007 @ 7:11am

Re:
Therapy, sister. It helps.
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Oct 2007 @ 8:25am

Re:
bitter much?
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PaulT (profile), 1 Nov 2007 @ 5:47am

Re:
@Gloria:

Wow, sounds like you have some... issues...

Question: if you don't like the kind of jerks who go hunting, don't read and worship a football team more than their wives, why did you apparantly marry one? Go get a guy who actually represents the human race instead of a tribal throwback. There's millions of us out there..
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Ginny, 1 Nov 2007 @ 8:05am

Re: Re:
Translation:

He likes you.
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Ginny, 1 Nov 2007 @ 8:11am

Housewife here
So there's games out there that I would be more likely to play? Well, I'll let you know what I play the most after my 5 month old grows up enough to go to school and I can relax.

Okay, that's not so true.. When my husband comes home at 5, I end up raiding with my friends on World of Warcraft around 7.

But if I ever get the time to play a game, it's usually Cooking Mama (oh the irony) or some sort of game I can play on the Wii. I can use one hand on the game while rocking my baby to sleep with the other. That is.. if my husband doesn't play it. Yeah, you heard me. He plays Cooking Mama (and he's better than me, that ass...)
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Overcast, 2 Nov 2007 @ 1:29pm

Perhaps a lot more women enjoy playing first person shooters and don't like to admit it.

Yeah - my wife's first game she really got into was Quake2.. After that, she drug *me* into Everquest, now I play WoW. Admittedly.. I developed a good sense of not playing too awful much, so I'm pretty casual in WoW.

I really don't care to watch football, I must admit. And while my wife and I do play video games, well.. we play in other parts of the house too :O

She has no complaints~~~
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Rorkimaru, 22 Dec 2007 @ 5:00pm

Re:
Gloria my dear, you are a sexist and are epitimising everything that was wrong with pre feminisim men in reverse. calling all men assholes is very derogatory and is quite unacceptable
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