According to the research group IDC, 62 per cent of players of computer games are male (Entertainment Software Association, March 2008).

In a market targeted primarily at males, therefore, games that appeal to girls can be hard to find. Generally girls aren't interested in the violent "first person shooter" games favoured by boys, and many of the girl-specific games promote stereotypical interests such as cooking and babysitting. (Industry representatives claim these topics are chosen based on their surveys of what female games want.) Girls are, however, avid players of "casual" games such as Bejeweled and Peggle, rhythm games such as Guitar Hero, and massively multiplayer online games such as World of Warcraft. Where boys are drawn to consoles such as the Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation, which promise action and adventure, most of the the games that are popular among girls are found on the Wii or the handheld Nintendo DS.

Girls need creative games that engage their problem-solving and strategic skills, and involve interaction and cooperative play. If girls are to become active users of technology, the video-game industry must be encouraged to design games for them that are engaging and fun.

Another issue is that some video games, including some of the most popular M-rated games such as the Grand Theft Auto series, include content that is misogynist and may condone violence towards women, allowing and even rewarding actions such as sex with prostitutes, rape and murder. As Doctor Karen Dill puts it, “When women are consistently shown as sex objects rather than agents, consistently depicted in demeaning and degrading ways, and consistently shown as submissive, the result is to condone and support violence against women, coercion of women, and anti-woman attitudes.”

Video games can also confirm gender stereotypes. A 2007 study showed that male characters were significantly more likely to be portrayed as aggressive (83% versus 62% of female characters) while female characters were much more likely to be portrayed in a sexualized way (60% versus just 1% of male characters.)

Parents can play an important role in helping girls become more comfortable with video games and technology by:

• buying games that appeal to their interests and hobbies.
  
  
• looking for games that don't contain stereotypes of men and women. Resources such as WomenGamers.com include evaluations of games based on how they depict women, in their Digital Women articles.
  
  
• introducing the You Go Girl in Technology (YGGT) Initiative to your local Girl Guide unit. YGGT includes Internet badges for all levels of Guiding. (See right sidebar for more info.) 
  
  
• making sure they have equal access to the computer and video-game console at home.
  
  
• encouraging them to invite girlfriends over to play games.
  
  
• writing to video-game manufacturers and asking them to follow GirlTech’s Guidelines For Improving Video Games for Girls. (See tip sheets on the right sidebar.)
  
  
• playing games with their daughters.
  
  
• enrolling them in girls' computer camps or computer courses.
  
  
• volunteering in their computer classes