[H]ardNews 11th Edition

More Female Gamers?

A ton of people sent me this CNN link saying there are more female gamers than men. I am not sure where this “study” was conducted, but everyone who has EVER attended a LAN party knows that the female gamers is the gaming world equivalent of the “mythical unicorn”.

Challenging the stereotype that video gaming is the domain of teenage boys, an industry group Tuesday reported that more women over 18 than young boys are playing games and the average age of players has risen to 29. A poll released by the Entertainment Software Association and conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates found 26 percent of game players are women 18 or older, while 21 percent are boys 6 to 17.

Speaking Of Myths:

CNN is on a roll today. This time they cover the Phantom console which has pretty much been shrugged off by everyone. I can’t find the pictures I posted of the Infinium Labs offices 8 months ago showing just a desk and two phones in a tiny office space located in a strip mall in next to a local art gallery in Longboat Key Florida. Anybody that lives near there, shoot me an e-mail maybe we can get some new pictures of the top secret Phantom facilities.

The juiciest rumor was that there never would be a console called Phantom. The conspiracy theory went that the whole thing was a hoax, concocted as a PR stunt. The "unveiling" hasn't seemed to quash those rumors.

More Professional Gamers:

Rounding out this triple header from CNN is this story about a new gaming league called the Global Gaming League.

The GGL™ will create fans and stars by producing world-class entertainment and events where professionally dedicated players will gain recognition for their lifestyle, skill and commitment to "V-Sports™." Top professional gamers and gaming teams will have the chance to qualify for live GGL™ Championship Events with the opportunity to earn cash, prizes, endorsements and respect.

Ummm, good luck. Hopefully these guys plan on breaking the mold of current professional gaming that usually takes lots of money from sponsors and the gamers themselves and distributes it among a select few top players…not to mention the top brass at the gaming league.