You need to take genre into account when talking about females playing games. I seem to recall reading (sorry can't remember where) that the middle-aged female demographic is rather large in the online puzzle/card/social gaming genres, even larger than males in some cases.

It's not even vaguely suprising that females wouldn't be particuarly attracted to the T&A&Guns category which so many games are in.

I agree with Oluseyi. There are definitely women gamers...more now than there were a few years ago. However, it does seem that a vast majority of the games today are geared towards men with the vilence, shooting and heavy action games. I personally hate games like that where the entire purpose is to fight and kill someone. I would much rather play the games where I am forced to figure out how to do things or get through levels like in Mario or Zelda games.

Although I do also agree with some of the above posts that girls change their minds like we change our shoes, it is a good thing to introduce young girls to the gaming field. Doing so might interest some of them enough to go out and learn how to develop their own games in the future. Anything that can stimulate young children (boys AND girls) is a good start for their futures.

Quote: Original post by monkeygrrl18
However, it does seem that a vast majority of the games today are geared towards men with the vilence, shooting and heavy action games. I personally hate games like that where the entire purpose is to fight and kill someone. I would much rather play the games where I am forced to figure out how to do things or get through levels like in Mario or Zelda games.

I quite disagree with that. My little sister enjoys playing violent and heavy action games just as much as lighter, less violence based games. I also know some males who don't like violent games at all and females who do play those kinds of games. I don't see violence or action in games as being geared toward males at all. However, I do think think that many games try to appeal to men sexually, and that cuts down on the amount of female gamers considerably, because they will start to sterotype games as stupid.

One of my sisters loves many types of games, my wife has very specific game tastes. She really REALLY got in to "The Movies" - hours of play on that and she's never played any game that hard before - not even Sims 2. I think she likes games that she can easily dip in and out of with an easy to learn control system.

When I was younger I used to play computer games with my little sister on the Spectrum, C64 and Amiga. As long as I didn't rub it in when I won, (and visa-versa!) she was quite happy playing with me. My littlest sister never got in to computer games, and never "got" the appeal I guess. Not open to it.

It's all really interesting actually how different people approach the same game. There's a really good presentation you should look at if you've not already found it:

http://www.pqhp.com/cmp/gdctv/

Search down the page for "Why We Play Games Together: The People Factor"

You just have to enter in your email address and it lets you see the lecture.

just buy them a copy of "The Sims 2". Not recomended for girlfriends, or else "bye bye" computer.

There are few games outside which are more female oriented like "The Sims 2", "The Movies" and even "Heroes of Might and Magic".

Female does not enjoy complexity or violence (given exception), thus more medieval, fantasy type feel will ease them in the game industry a bit more. In this respect, I can find isometric games to be especially appealing to female consumers. 3D fps introduces alot of controls and commands which are too complicated to learn, and so with most 3D games. Isometric provide a simple feel and understanding of the game - which is a good stepping stone for the female consumers.

Aside from that, females do enjoy console games more than complex computer games - notably racing, mario, (cutey type ones), and Final Fantasy.

But I think once the female population start growing in the gaming industry, it might reshape the entire gaming community - like it did to the advertisement and production companies back in the 70s. Most consumer products are now female oriented, unlike the ealier decades where they had less buying power.

Thanks everyone for all the responses and additional information! It's been much more productive having this discussion here than at school (btw, to answer an earlier question I go to Full Sail).

I am getting that a lot of you think it's more of a marketing thing. Companies are aiming their games at male only audiences (or females who enjoy guns, explosions, violence or revealing avatars as much as guys). It's certainly made me think. All the different game development companies are businesses that are looking to turn a profit at the end of the day. Do you think it's in the industries best interests to make games more suited for everyone or to capitalize on the things that most male gamers want?

simply, making games is a business. You don't want to go too far away from 'tried-and-tested' path. But the female market is certainly the way to go for the future. I like companies who have the innovation and willing to take the risk to go this way and lead the industry.

But, like every other dicipline - the first ones to take the step usually end up being the casualty. Everyone is looking over another's shoulder and waiting for a strategy that works. But well, it's a risk accessment thing. I personally would die to work in a company who would take such a risk - proves that they have vision and ambition.

In the end of the day, it's a chicken egg analogy. Do games come first before demand? Or do demand come first before games? - and the biggest obstacle at the moment - will Men from Mars ever understand Women from Venus? (refering to the male predominant industry workforce vs. female customers)

Against my better judgement, I'm going to say something which might be considered controversial, but what the hell...

I've always applied the view that games shouldn't be designed specifically for girls, or specifically altered in an attempt to get more girls playing - basically on the grounds that it shouldn't be nessisary. Usually the trend seems to be making games less violent, adding cute graphics and splurging pastel colours around the place. Firstly I can't help but think that this approach is stereotyping far too much and flat out offensive. Similarly if a girl looks at a game like Ikaruga and all they see is bullets and killing, and can't actually understand that this is all just a thin graphical layer above the actual mechanics of it then that girl is, frankly, too shallow to be taken seriously anyway.

Similarly with simplifying the interfaces. So we're supposed to believe that girls won't play games until we've dumbed down the controls? That they're somehow incapable of handing the normal stuff that everyone else plays?

Now I'll be the first to agree that we could do with more non-violent games, but we should be doing that regardless as it offers a greater variety of games. Not as a cynical attempt to widen the appeal. Oddly though switching to an overly-cute graphical style seems to work - as evidenced by the absurd popularity of pink mobiles, iPods etc. etc. It seems like the stereotype fits here.

Personally I think that we're still conditioning kids from a very young age into whats 'right' and 'wrong' for their gender. You just need to switch on Cartoon Network and watch an ad break - it's still firmly rooted in pink barbie dolls for girls and violent action men for boys. And until that changes I don't see the games situation changing any.

(Er, in summary, buy your kids Lego and let them make up their own mind [grin] ).

i don't know about you americans and where you may find females, but i frequent a gaming cafe here in melbourne australia, and on any given afternoon you will find at least half a dozen girls sitting down and playing battlefield 2, of all things. not to mention that in an arcade in a very affluenty asian suburb on a weekday afternoon, theres 20 - 30 high school girls playing games. so yes, i think there is alot more females playing games as a hobby nowadays.

now off i go to get reamed by said girls in battlefield 2.....

Quote:
Similarly with simplifying the interfaces. So we're supposed to believe that girls won't play games until we've dumbed down the controls? That they're somehow incapable of handing the normal stuff that everyone else plays?

I disagree with it being offensive. It's a delicate issue yes. My theory (not exactly my theory - it's what I've learned from User Interface Design courses) is that most males have "built-in user model" of controls if it's FPS, RPG or side stroller. Did you ever-ever look for the movement controls when you first played WoW? Or by default you know it's WASD?

Similarly, males are capable of complex controls because they by-default (after countless gaming experience) already have a certain level of user-model. It has NOTHING to do with intelligence.


Edit:
before anyone flame me I'd like to add, that we're talking about female audience in general and yes there might be exceptions but like all market industry you can never satisfy every party. Besides, the exception females in issue are probably male-type gamers which fits into the present game culture.


[Edited by - Takaloy on February 17, 2006 6:25:21 AM]