Oh no! Say it isn't so...say it isn't so! With casual gaming do so well now is there the chance that the once dominate young, male demographic will fall to the wayside and user in a new era of gamers...like perhaps older women gamers. Is the increase in casual games the foot in the door women need to be recognized more?

From the article:

On the other hand, the software charts tell a somewhat different story. A glance at the UK's all-format charts in recent weeks makes for slightly grim reading for fans of hardcore titles. Sports games, movie tie-in games, kids' games and casual titles such as Nintendo's various brain-training games crowd the top twenty. Halo 3 occupies a lonely slot in the top ten, the only non-sports title representing the traditional male 14-24 demographic in that ranking.

These rankings do raise questions about the importance of hardcore gaming in the grand scheme of things. While film tie-ins and their ilk have always done good business, this industry has always respected the importance of early adopters and key opinion-formers in driving the uptake of its more mass-market products. The sudden emergence of a large, mass-market audience for gaming throws that importance into question.

Read the full article over at gameindustry.biz