Typically deemed a male-dominated past time, drinking games are now more popular among women, according to a recent study.

The Loyola Marymount University (LMU) found that male and female students engage in similar drinking routines, but women are more likely to be playing drinking games when drinking.

Women played drinking games an average of 27.7 percent of the time they drank while men averaged 24.7 percent, according to the study.

"One of the most interesting things is that the results contradict research from five to 10 years ago," said Joseph LaBrie, conductor of the study and associate professor of psychology at LMU.

The study had 35 males and 70 females between the ages of 18 and 22 record their drinking behavior over a three-month period. The questionnaire and personal interviews focused on drinking games played and amount consumed while playing.

Naomi Altman, Penn State associate professor of statistics, reviewed the study, confirmed that "the methodology appears to be sound."

LaBrie said he conducted the study because "drinking games in colleges are an understudied, growing phenomenon."

The results were surprising to some students.

"I would think guys play more," Jennifer Clarke (freshman-psychology and Spanish) said. "When I go to parties, generally the guys are playing games, and the girls stand around and socialize."

Furthermore, the study found women are nearly 30 percent more likely to binge drink when playing drinking games, averaging 6.29 drinks a night. The study defined binge drinking as four drinks in a row for females and five drinks in a row for males. A drink was identified as 12 ounces of beer, four ounces of wine or a 1.25-ounce shot.

"Women also process alcohol differently from men," LaBrie said. "Men and women can drink the same amount of alcohol, but women will have a higher blood alcohol content."

LaBrie said women are more likely to have unpleasant experiences because of drinking games than men.

"A key finding was that with drinking games, women are more likely to have negative consequences, such as unwanted hookups, unprotected sex, missing class and even noticing changes in their own personality," LaBrie said.

Ann Major, associate professor of communications, said women's beverage choices show increasing amounts of alcohol content.

"[Women are] moving from typical drinks like beer and wine to "Alco-pops," such as mixed drinks and bottled beverages like Smirnoff Ice, while men are sticking to beer," Major said. However, LaBrie said women drink for social reasons -- they want to enhance or promote relationships with men. Women also want to be considered equal with their male counterparts.

"One of the things we're not seeing is the social stigma that used to be attached with drinking," Major added. "With women 10 years ago, there was a lot of negative social stigma if you got drunk. It's not so much today."

Some students believe the reasons for the trend are probably less scientific.

"Girls play for entertainment value, that's all," Clarke said.