Female Gamers

[mimartin]

So, what should devs/gaming companies do to appeal to more females?

I don’t know, but if past history is any indication. Take a popular game, put a bow on the PC's head, change the color scheme to pink and give it a more feminine name.

 

 

Seriously I do not believe there is any one thing that game Dev can do to appeal more to females. Gamers are a diversified group, male or female, and there is no set formula that will appeal to all the segments. Concentrating on hiring more female game writers and developers may help in the process.

 

Personally I like the idea of developers working on games with better stories regardless if the game is design to appeal to either gender. A good story in a game can crossover to either gender, just like a good movie or a good song does.

[Totenkopf]

It's really a matter of trial and error. If you try to be all things to all people, you usually end up a big mess. While a generalization, I think the following is pretty true: Make the story interesting enough to want to follow and just violent enough for play and you can probably appeal to both sides. Too much of one or the other tends to render a game a little 2 dimensional and cuts into it's ability for mass appeal. Btw, there's nothing inherently wrong with niche marketing games to one gender or the other, though those games might not be as lucrative in the end. Still, especially in light of increasing budgets, it's basically a crap shoot (just like movies).

[Ctrl Alt Del]

Everyone is drawn to a game for specific reasons; add some things men like and some things women like, and potentially soften the edges. That way women will be drawn to it for their reason, and men will be drawn to it for their reason, and if you soften both up a little easy aspect will not deter the other gender from playing.

That's the first option. Frankly, 'till today, few games have managed to do that.

 

I don’t know, but if past history is any indication. Take a popular game, put a bow on the PC's head, change the color scheme to pink and give it a more feminine name.

It don't even needed that. The original Pac-man was already a women-oriented game, or so it's dev says:

 

"All you gotta do is eat, and women love eating"...

[Inyri]

Cuz men don't, right? But anyway, stoffe yelled at us the last time we started talking about this.

 

In terms of games failing to hit both ends of the spectrum, I don't necessarily think it's true that a lot of games have failed; a lot of games simply haven't tried.

[Ctrl Alt Del]

Yes, I agree. But I think that, with games becoming more of a popular media, it'll probably become what movies are today, trying to hit a lot of target audiences at once.

[Web Rider]

Cuz men don't, right? But anyway, stoffe yelled at us the last time we started talking about this.

 

In terms of games failing to hit both ends of the spectrum, I don't necessarily think it's true that a lot of games have failed; a lot of games simply haven't tried.

 

But is that even wanted? Would you really want to play a game that tries to cate to every crowd? What would that be? Some kind of SRPG-action-adventure-shooter-romance-comedy-RTS-turn based-MMO? I mean really, what's the game even trying to accomplish?

 

And what happens when we get into different races? If genders are hard enough to figure out, different backgrounds and physical appearance differences make things worse.

 

Honestly, I think the video game market is doing good the way it is, I suppose it really all depends on which kinds of feminist viewpoint you take on the issue.(I'm referring to real feminist theories, not evil fem-nazis, though they are a legit viewpoint).

[Inyri]

I think you're misinterpreting "hitting each end of the spectrum" as "hitting every possible end of the spectrum." We don't need every single thing a man/woman might like. I suspect every game you play isn't the perfect ideal-in-every-way game for you, is it?

 

And I don't necessarily think anyone's really said the game industry wasn't doing fine as it was, now. In fact I've not heard too many of the ladies seriously complain about the choices. Granted I'd say most game developers have been kind of lazy lately (focusing almost entirely on multiplay, especially) but there are plenty of games out there that are not like that and appeal to a vast variety of people, men and women both.

[Web Rider]

I think you're misinterpreting "hitting each end of the spectrum" as "hitting every possible end of the spectrum."

 

On a two dimensional spectrum, ie: a closed ended line, if you're hitting girls gamers and guy gamers, those could easily be the same type of players, or vastly opposite players.

 

Should shooters include fashion-designing elements in order to cater to "girly-girls" and "power-gamers"? Since we've already outlines that the "male-female" spectrum isn't simply "male to female", as there are different kinds of gamers on each side, one cannot hit "both sides" without hitting a hundred other sides.

 

As somebody put forth earlier, one cannot hit the "female" side of the spectrum, since there really isn't a "female" side of the spectrum, there are players who like different styles of gameplay that men and women fall into. Games targeted at that kind of player are far superior than a game thats attempting to cater to some mythological "male" or "female".

[Inyri]

If there's no 'female' side, there's no 'male' side. I'm not going to be naive and say the 'female' side of gaming is for women. 'Feminine' would probably be a better term; it refers to more feminine gameplay aspects. By feminine I don't mean 'fashion design' -- you're being far too stereotypical of women. If a girl wants to do fashion design in a video game they'll go buy the Sims or something, so I think that's kind of a moot point. There are already games catering to those tastes.

 

But then again, most MMO's (and most FPS's, for that option) cater to 'fashion sense' in the sense that they provide dozens of appearances to choose from. So it looks like your point has already been adapted into most games.

[Totenkopf]

I'd wager that most of the devs, like producers, tend to go wherever the money appears to be. That kind of laziness either reduces the range of games/films to "ok, but the same" or a cheap knockoffs of a better product. Ashame, but the business of buisness is business.

 

Btw, does anyone know what the current estimate of female gamers is as a % of the market?

[Bee Hoon]

I may not be obsessed with how my character looks (okay, I lie ) but I do at least demand a character that looks halfway decent! Plus customizing is half the fun, hehe. The other half is severely kicking butt:P

[SilentScope001]

But is that even wanted? Would you really want to play a game that tries to cate to every crowd? What would that be? Some kind of SRPG-action-adventure-shooter-romance-comedy-RTS-turn based-MMO??

 

Yes. Do it.

 

The Fall of Mercutio. You play as Mercutio, a member of the ruling house of Verona during Romeo and Juilet. Your role is to discover on the urging of the Prince of Verona the reasons for the conflict between the Capulets and Montagues. As you get involved in the brewing conflict, you can sell your services as a merc for either side, commanding huge armies in RTS-style battles or take part in SRPG combat and make important dialouge choices. Can you find the truth behind the fighting and negogiate a deal between the Capulets and the Montagues? Or will you die in the crossifre?

[Inyri]

No no no, please... Romeo and Juliet was not one of Shakespeare's better works. -_-

[Totenkopf]

No no no, please... Romeo and Juliet was not one of Shakespeare's better works. -_-

 

 

Just one of his better known ones.

[Serpentine Cougar]

Btw, does anyone know what the current estimate of female gamers is as a % of the market?

Searching Google gave me this:

A new report released by the Entertainment Software Association has found that 38% of gamers are female. The ESA report stated that the majority of female gamers play the Nintendo DS, as well as games such as The Sims. Female gamers make up the majority of the market for casual games, featured on the DS, as well as the Nintendo Wii. [...] They also enjoy social games such as MMOs.

 

Off-topic: I hated Romeo and Juliet....

[Web Rider]

A new report released by the Entertainment Software Association has found that 38% of gamers are female.

 

that doesnt surprise me, though I would have figured it more around 30, and actually none of those stats surprise me for some reason. I just don't think the gaming culture has fully absorbed into the female population yet.

[Rogue Nine]

I'm interested on what their criteria for being a 'gamer' is, since they don't seem to make a distinction between casual and serious ones.

[Bee Hoon]

I wonder whether they count games like Sims I'm the only female gamer I know who plays Star Wars/NWN/Fifa There are girls I know who play Final Fantasy, thank God.

[Jae Onasi]

Heh, you know a bunch of gals here who play SW/NWN/etc.

 

I agree there seems to be 2 tiers in gaming for females--the casual solitaire type player, and the hard-core 'pre-buy the latest game so you can have a copy the day it comes out and play it non-stop for 800 hours' type player. I would guess that most of the gals here fall closer to the hard-core player end of the spectrum. The casual gamer is going to approach games a bit differently than the hard-core players, though the ultimate goal is entertainment. I think the wants and needs of the two sub-groups of women are different enough, however, that devs need to take a look at that.

[Bee Hoon]

Heh, you know a bunch of gals here who play SW/NWN/etc.

It is a relief!

[Web Rider]

I wonder whether they count games like Sims I'm the only female gamer I know who plays Star Wars/NWN/Fifa There are girls I know who play Final Fantasy, thank God.

 

the majority of female gamers play the Nintendo DS, as well as games such as The Sims.

 

that would be "yes".

 

honestly I don't think female gamers are really that diversed from male gamers. Their girls...who fit into existing categories of gamers, hardcore, casual, MMOers, RPGers, ect....

 

and: WTF? attention all male gamers: stop hitting on female pixels! srsly...

[Alexander the Great]

Girls should play BioShock. It makes playing video games feel unbiased and non-sexist. There's equal treatment for BOTH genders! If hitting women over the heads with a wrench after setting them on fire isn't fun for the whole family, then I don't know what is.

 

Searching Google gave me this:

 

Well, it's nice to know that the stores clerk records my gender every time I buy a video game.

[PoiuyWired]

Girls buying games does not mean they play it. A mom ( ) can buy some nice games for her kids, and vice versa. Plus, it is quite common that a game is passed on from a friend to another. I mean, I am pretty sure that many guys got their games borrowed/jacked by their girlfriend/sister/etc. Hack, some unfortunate souls would have their DS (and some fingers) forceably ripped from their hands by a particularly vile sister, along with the copy of his Princess Peach/cute rpg/etc

 

In short, buyers does not reflect players accurately. Obviously people constantly staying in the same establishment would quite often share a same console, and same goes with the games. Obvious places would be any home where the siblings/parents would share the same game (amongst things like wow accounts and such) But same thing can be said about dorm rooms, houses where most friends hangs out, or the console thrown under the tv in the resting room at a workspace/etc (think about places where you would place the good old ddr matress). These are places where a somewhat constant group of individuals can hand out and play the console/games for ane xtended period of time.

 

 

The ONE COPY of the old Smash Bros Melee I had is shared by a tight group of 10 or so friends who are constantly playing on it, as in they are usually hanging around in that living room spending at least 10-15 hours of gametime per week for quite a few months. Yes that includes at least 1 female non-casual player, and a couple of the more casual ones that would drop in occasionally. So how is the buying of this one copy of the game reflect the demographics of players behind it?

 

And there are quite a few games that would allow for multiple players on the same console, fighting games for example. Such games would typically be shared and played amongst a few people, playing on the same console.

 

Even an obvious single player game may be played by several players on a regular basis. Its like after you finish some normal grade rpg you would lend it to your friend.

 

And yes, we are not even getting into people freeloading games and warez.

[Ctrl Alt Del]

I'm interested on what their criteria for being a 'gamer' is, since they don't seem to make a distinction between casual and serious ones.

Girls buying games does not mean they play it.

 

Quoted for answer.

 

Plus, the "casual" at hand has another name: Wii.

[Jae Onasi]

Yes, but when you're running a business, you count what was _sold_ and who bought it, not who actually played it 3 people down the line.