A report released by The NPD Group shows that videogames have attracted a larger female audience in 2009. The Gamer Segmentation 2009 report shows that the number of female gamers is on the rise in 2009, significantly among console gamers.

The number of female console gamers in the US has increased by 5%, up from 23% last year to 28% in 2009. NPD attributed this increase to the Nintendo Wii because it’s clear that more females are using console systems, especially the Wii. In fact the usage of the Wii has increased by 19% across the board from last year.

“Last year was one of the most transformative in history in terms of defining the audience for gaming, said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. “Even with the increased competition from mobile and social network gaming, the console gamer segment added the most new participants to its ranks in the last year.”

Over 20 000 people aged between 2 and 65 were involved in the Gamer Augmentation 2009 study which was conducted in January 2009.