Entertainment Software Association's (ESA) most recent report concluded that the percentage of females playing video games has seen an increase in recent years, putting them at 41 percent. However, these surveys rarely go beyond these figures to find out what type of games are preferred by different genders, or even various age groups.

Quantic Foundry might have answered just that. Its latest study claims that a high percentage of females are keen on Match 3 and Family/Farm Sim games.

The game analytics consulting company has published results of its own research, aimed towards breaking down the player base by genre. Quantic Foundry's study involved over 270,000 gamers worldwide using a "Gamer Motivation Profile," which a brief survey that generates a report concerning how they compare with other gamers and find out the subjects' gaming motivations. Using this method, the company then broke down the data.

"In our full sample, 18.5 percent are female gamers. We also ask gamers to list specific game titles/franchises that they enjoy playing (up to 9), said Nick Yee, co-founder and analytics lead of Quantic Foundry. "By sampling gamers who mention a specific game title/franchise, we can generate a profile of that game's engaged audience."

In a chart found at PlayStation Lifestyle via QF, the percentages refer to the proportion of gamers in a specific genre that are female. Topping the list at 69 percent are both Match 3 and Family/Farm Sim games. Yee emphasized that 69 percent does not mean that 69 percent of female gamers play Match 3 games; rather, of the gamers who answered a Match 3 game in the data, 69 percent of them were female.

In conclusion, at least according to Quantic Foundry, Match 3 and Family/Farm Sim games are most likely to be female, whereas sports games and tactical shooters are least likely to be female. Click through link to proceed to the source for the full findings.