KING 5:
Contrary to the stereotype of the young slacker video gamer, a new study has found that the prototypical gamer is now as likely to be a woman as a man. A study by market research publisher Packaged Facts says thanks to the Nintendo Wii and DS systems, the gamer population now includes 25 million adults in the 55 and older age bracket, 13 million retirees, and 28 million grandparents. Packaged Facts says the introduction of the Wii and DS systems brought a slew of gaming options developed for the mass consumer and those who would not typically regard themselves as gamers into a marketplace once dominated by hardcore gamers.