Most nights during the spring semester at Lewis Hall, residents on the sixth floor could find a group of male students willing to play a game of “Halo” on Xbox.

Amy Poland, Chapman sophomore, was a welcome addition to the group of men. She ended up hurting some egos with her adept playing skills but also made some friends.

“It’s a fun way to hang out with people and probably helped me get to know people on my floor better,” Poland said.

Poland is one of many women who are part of a growing trend at Kansas University, as well as across the nation. With various video games available, more and more women are realizing what all the guys have been raving about. They are increasingly interested in video games and are playing more. The video-game market is responding by producing more games for women.

Micah Adams, an employee at Game Guy, 7 E. Seventh St., said he had noticed more video games coming out that targeted women.

“There are some girls that come in here that like to play games, and there are still those that are dragged in here by their boyfriends, too,” Adams said.

Poland said she began to like playing video games with her younger brother a few years ago. She began playing with the men on her floor when she and her roommate would play “Mario Kart.” Eventually, some men asked Poland and her roommate to play a game of “Halo” as a joke.

“It was really funny because I didn’t know how to work the controller or anything,” Poland said.

But after some practice with the XBox controller, Poland became as addicted as any regular gamer to playing the “shooter” video game. And although she said the games distracted her from homework and studying, she still loves to play with the guys.

Laura Freeman, Brookfield, Wis., sophomore, owns a gaming system and regularly plays video games. She said she began playing when she was 4 years old after her parents gave her and her sister the original Nintendo gaming system.

“I used to play with my grandma and make fun of her because she would lift the controller up to jump,” Freeman said.

Amy Poland, Chapman sophomore, plays the video game Halo with Frank Lindemann, Topeka junior. Both students lived at Lewis Hall last year.

Break from schoolwork

Freeman said she liked video games because they offered a nice way to take a break from difficult schoolwork. Her favorite types of video games include racing, golf and tennis, and any of the Mario series.

Freeman thinks more women are playing video games.

She said the availability of gaming systems, especially Game Boy Advanced, was getting more girls involved in video games at a younger age.

“Like everything, girls have to catch up to guys, so yes, it’s becoming more popular just because it’s socially OK for girls, and there are even some games that are designed with girls as their target group,” Freeman said.

Jessi White, Winfield junior, also learned to love video games as a youngster. White said she and her older brother used to constantly play together, mostly because they had nothing better to do. Now that her days are busier, she plays mostly for social reasons.

“When I was younger I played a lot by myself out of boredom and obsession, but now it’s social, unless it’s Grand Theft Auto because then all my friends leave me when I play that in front of them,” White said.

Gaming habits

According to a Pew Internet and American Life Project study on the gaming habits of college students, the same number of men and women reported playing video games. Seventeen percent of females reported enjoying playing video games more than computer games and online games.

The study also explained why women have traditionally not enjoyed video games as much as men. The survey showed many women do not like video games because of the exaggerated gender stereotypes.

For both the XBox and PlayStation 2 gaming systems, games such as “Tomb Raider” and “Dark Angel” feature a woman as the main character in the game. “Monopoly Party” and “Sims” games also appeal to a wider audience than the normal male video-gamer.

Many children’s games also are targeting girls specifically. For the Game Boy Advanced gaming system, two Barbie video games and a Lizzie McGuire video game are available.

Despite the variety of games available, Poland still enjoys playing “Mario Kart” the most. As for continuing to play “Halo” with her former floormates, Poland said she doubted she would return.

“They keep asking me to play with them this summer, but I don’t want to get addicted again,” Poland said.