I'm sure this preconception does ring true in many cases, especially within the hardcore, console based gaming sector.

However, there have been some noticeable changes taking devote the online gaming arena in the last couple of years that have certainly surprised me some what. Whereas the games console market is dominated by a lot of young males, the skill games market finds the lion share of its business from the 35-65 year age group, with a small skew towards women.

Skill gaming, which regularly involves the playing of multiplayer games online, was once a distinct segment sector but is now quickly gaining mass market appeal. This is mainly due to the fact that internet access, especially broadband, has now made the seeking out of online entertainment no more an exclusively Western pastime. As well as this, skill games aren't regarded as gambling and they therefore fall outside countries'anti-gambling statutes; These games can therefore be enjoyed is most countries round the globe.

Another reason for the extraordinary growth of these multiplayer games online is due to their addictive nature in addition to their simplicity. Skill games are browser based games played in a tournament format, with each player paying an income entry fee to play and with an income prize planning to the winner. They're often very short games of just a few momemts in length and have just a few simple rules to learn just before getting underway. What this means is they can be enjoyed during some slack time at the job and it has even been suggested they not only improve peoples'productivity in the work place but can also reduce work related stress.

The sites that offer such games often give the ball player the possibility of either challenging a specific individual or opting for a random person on the games network to be paired up with them. These multiplayer games online really add an exciting dynamic, especially when there is a wager on the game. In a sizable multiplayer tournament, considerable cash prizes can be won by the end of one of these simple yet exciting games.

All these criteria have helped propel the internet skill games sector in to the mainstream of online entertainment by having an ever broadening mass market demographic participating. It's result in the inclusion of men and women who would not have previously considered themselves to be online gamers per se.

Experts are predicting that the internet skill games sector will treble in proportions by 2011, reaching both an increasing global audience as well as ever widening age range.