Study: Male gamers have need to conquer

Just what the difference exactly is between male and female gamers is something that has long been the subject of debate, but the results of a recent study in Stanford may hold the answer.

According to new research by Dr. Allan Reiss, the difference between female and male gamers is so fundamental it occurs at the neurochemical level and men and women experience vastly different emotions when gaming.

Dr. Reiss led researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine in a worlds-first imaging study which performed MRIs of gamers as they played a bespoke computer game, according to Bio-Medicine.org. The results showed that men and women have vastly different brain activity when gaming, with men having more activity in the mesocorticolimbic region of the brain.

This section of the brain is the one which governs feelings of reward and addiction and has led Dr. Reiss to think that male gamers are so fond of the hobby because it stimulates the basic male need to conquer.

"These gender differences may help explain why males are more attracted to, and more likely to become 'hooked' on video games than females," said the research team in a paper on their findings.

"I think it's fair to say that males tend to be more intrinsically territorial," added Dr. Reiss.

Do you game to get that feeling of being a conqueror, or is it more for a feeling of escape? Let us know in the forums.