A common misconception about video games is that they are for a young, predominantly male audience only. That is far from the truth, as the following chart illustrates. According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), playing video games is neither a pastime for the youth nor is it male-dominated. Quite the opposite in fact: 45 percent of all gamers in the United States are female and the average gamer is 34 years old.

According to the ESA, 60 percent of Americans play video games on a daily basis, spending tens of billions on content, hardware and gaming accessories.