Slowly but surely, the eyes of women are being opened to the world of videogaming. For some women players, the love for gaming comes naturally, while others are only turned on to the lifestyle after having watched someone else play. Women aren't just making their voices heard when it comes to gaming, as more and more women are also entering the videogame job market as well.

From the article:

Women make up 43% of all video game players, according to the 2005 survey by the Entertainment Software Association. That's up from 38% in a similar survey in 2003. Though women aren't quite yet the majority among game players, they're involved in 55% of all game-buying decisions, according to the association of the video game makers.

Critics say the men's club of developers in these games sometimes leads to demeaning portraits of women. Frequently women are portrayed as sex objects, like the buxom babes who crawl all over the heroes in most action games. Or they're immoral targets of violence, like the prostitutes you can beat up for cash in "Grand Theft Auto."

Violence specifically portrayed against women, patronizing "pink" video games marketed just for girls and other gaming faux pas tend to drive women away.

Still, the percentage of women in the industry is growing rapidly, with analysts agreeing that gaming companies are working to increase their gender diversity.

The number of women in the industry has risen from 5% to 11.5% in the last few years, according to the International Game Developers Association. The majority are employed in marketing, operations and human resources, not game development.

Read the rest of this article over at The Detroit Free Press website.