Comment by schlauerfox

This apparently is something that came about after the Atari days where games were social activities in bars and home console advertising features boys and girls. When the NES came out, it was marketed in the US as a toy so had to mold itself to the retail store layouts and pick a toy aisle and they picked boys. In the mobile era and perhaps as early as The Sims beating MYST as the bestselling game, started to develop a more balanced marketing approach.