Once upon a time, the majority of video gamers were men. That is not the case today, according to The Wall Street Journal Online. While the male gamers still outnumber the females, the gap right now is quite narrow.

Based on this year's research results of an Entertainment Software Association (ESA) study, ESA found that 59 percent of Americans play video games. From that number, 48 percent of the U.S. gamers today are females, which is the largest share they've held for more than 10 years. Females over the age of 18 make up 36 percent of the gamer population, which is double the number of male gamers under 18 years of age.

Overall, the average age of U.S. gamers is about 31, although in the female age group it tends to be older, with female gamers aged 50 and over having increased to 32 percent from the figures in 2012 and 2013. There are many interesting facts that can be garnered from the study. The average age of people that most frequently purchase video games is 35 and that there is equal sharing in purchases across gender.

Therefore, companies are now targeting the female audience in order to grow their brands, according to Forbes. The rise of the female gaming population is partly attributed to Nintendo's Wii because the console is easy to use and its games have a wider appeal. There is also the fact that graphic violence and sexist materials are banned from the games played on Wii. The "Wii Fit" title, a series of exercises using a balance board that is hooked up to the Wii console, sold 7.4 million copies in the United States alone.

It is not only the Wii that attracted the female audience. Nintendo's portable consoles such as the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance also attracted female gamers, with "Nintendogs" being very popular with females, since the touchscreen of the Nintendo DS allows players to take their dog for a walk and stroke their virtual pet.