The average gamer supposedly consists of young adult males ages 18-34, but a recent report by research firm M2 indicates that children, particularly in the “tween” category, are increasingly playing. The report defined tweens as children ages 8-11, while teens were defined as children ages 12-15.

What I am annoyed about is the way certain games are marketed. It’s as if game companies are not even considering women when developing certain games or, worse, being very stereotypical when creating games for women.

First I want to point out that almost every game out there has a male lead character. Shooters and RPGs are notorious for this. Sometimes women are offered as secondary characters in a lot of these games but you can’t always control them. RPGs are getting a lot better about this – including Fable and Oblivion to name a few – which offer the choice of being a female. Final Fantasy 10-2 even made the main characters women. Action games and platformers have been hooking us up with female leads with Lara Croft and Samus Aran being the most famous.

It’s a good time to be a gamer and it’s a great time if you are taking classes to become a game designer. Sony Online Entertainment, with administration by Scholarship America, is currently offering a scholarship associated with its G.I.R.L (Gamers In Real Life) program.

G.I.R.L is a program that is designed to influence more women to get involved in the gaming world. The goal is to get video game designers to develop video games that are more interesting for women to play and to help entice more women to become developers.

One student will win a scholarship worth up to $10,000, which will be applied towards tuition and other school expenses. The winner will also be offered a internship for up to 10 weeks at one of Sony Online Entertainment’s studios (note that room, board and transportation will not be included).