Games and Girls
Alright, I said that I wasn’t going to do this anymore, but something has to be done, and letters are going out. That’s right, I am planning on writing to companies to suggest new products again. This time I’m composing a generic letter that I can send out to game makers such as Microsoft, EA, SEGA, Nintendo, and others.
The letters are going to be a strong request for more games that pander to “normal” (typically non-gaming) girls and young women AND standard guys (typically gaming.) There are a few games out there that appeal to both sexes, but they are generally not at the same level of quality and fun as the latest crop of masterpiece games like Halo, Civilization III, Grand Theft Auto: II and beyond, etc. etc. (it really is quite a list that has many variations.)
I want to request more games like Dr. Mario and Tetris of old and The Mario Party series, the Smash Bros. Series, Fusion Frenzy for the XBOX, The Super Monkey Ball series that SEGA brought us, and others.
I think that if you make an analogy between gaming and drugs… these type of games are like the gateway into a larger world of games for females. They allow for simultaneous group play, which means socializing to girls. Some of them allow for handicapping, which is a great equalizer and lowers the typical barrier to entry that girls feel when they pit their underdeveloped gaming skills against guy’s honed botton-pressing. Also, girls typically like having an option for cooperative play. This was a great feature for Halo, and I think that it could be added to many games to make them a lot more interesting for female gamers.
OK, so those are my thoughts on this matter so far. I realize that I am very limited insofar as thinking of every characteristic of a game that makes it appealing to typically non-gaming females, so I am soliciting the thougths, experiences and opinions of anyone out there who cares and knows about this subject.
I like games. I like girls. Can’t these two worlds be brought together?
Posted by David under Uncategorized |
No, I don’t have a bias against Sony. I actually had the PS2 before I got the GameCube. It’s just that I couldn’t think of any games that meet this requirement on the PS2, and while I do have a multitap for the PS2, I haven’t run across any four player PS2 games that I could get Joy to play.
When I send out these letters I will surely send some letters to the game producing Sony subsidiaries as well. Even though I doubt that any company will take them all to seriously. Perhaps I can start an online petition and send the link in the letters.
Comment by David — September 6, 2003 @ 4:04 pm
I don’t think cooperative play is a preference specific to girls, it’s something that anybody who has little experience with gaming would prefer. Imagine if somebody walked up to you at a party, handed you a device completely foreign to your experiences, declared his expertise at using said device, and then immediately challanged you in front of your peers to a contest, without acclimating you to the rules, play environment or even really describing what the point of the contest is. Would you rather play _with_ him, or _against_ him?
Comment by Dave — September 7, 2003 @ 2:37 am
Alright, I’ve just discussed this and I have a new understanding. Even though my personal end-goal is to own/rent more games that Joy will like to play, what I am really after here is lowering the barrier of entry for all new users (not just potential female gamers), and gender unspecific games.
That’s not my end goal, but it is what I need to write to these companies, I suppose.
Comment by David — September 7, 2003 @ 3:10 am