Out of 2.7 billion gamers worldwide, nearly half are women

Earlier seen as niche entertainment usually marketed to young men, gaming has benefited from a 1990s push to attract more customers, breaking down gender, age and class barriers. Filepic

In the quarter of a century since Sony launched the groundbreaking PlayStation, video games have exploded into the biggest form of entertainment in the world, and analysts say the growing diversity of billions of players is reshaping the industry.The Japanese tech giant and its American rival Microsoft are preparing to launch their latest consoles next week, competing in an estimated US$175 bil (RM719 bil) global market - bigger than film and music combined.

Earlier seen as niche entertainment usually marketed to young men, gaming has benefited from a 1990s push to attract more customers, analysts say, with the PlayStation leading the way in breaking down gender, age and class barriers.