“Demographics”, has been the key term behind the success of the Nintendo Wii. When you have control of such a dynamic age range of 5-70, needless to say you’re going to perform well. Not only is Nintendo closing on the dynamic age market, but expanding the gender gap as well.

Not even five years ago, if you’d have told me that the number of females would outnumber males at a ‘video game waiting line’, I would have laughed at you. When I showed up Sunday to get my Wii Fit, that’s exactly what I saw. I didn’t take a head count or anything, but it was pretty obvious that the ladies outnumbered the men by a pretty hefty margin.

What’s sad is, I know people who see female involvement in video games as a threat. I consider myself a ‘hardcore gamer’, meaning I have been gaming since I’ve had a memory. I spend more money than I should on video game hardware/software (I own every console/handheld on the market). Some of my fellow “hardcore gamers” believe that opening up the gates to gaming, will dilute the market with less games aimed at them (most are just scared to be beat by a girl).

What’s really sad is I know fellow female gamers who are uncomfortable a lot of times to walk into a game store. Some have shared experiences with me, as getting odd stares and weird conversations from other male consumers and employees. The whole thing reminds me of when females were first trying to break into sports, and received less respect than they rightfully deserved.

I would really like to hear from some female gamers who frequent WiiBlog. Have you ever felt uncomfortable while shopping for games, at a video game store? What kind of games are you most interested in? Do guys seem more upset when you beat them at some multiplayer Wii Sports? Feel free to share as much as you’re comfortable with.