[MUD-Dev] Game design and gender: An interesting article

[Marian Griffith]

In <URL:/archives/meow?group+local.muddev> on Tue 31 Aug, Koster, Raph wrote:

> > From: Jeremy Music "Sterling" [mailto:rezo at lords.com]
 
> >  I would say
> > that Hasbro (where a lot of the titles she likes come from) 
> > is the closest to aiming at girls, since they sure aren't aiming at me.

*grin* I do not think you are 'all boys', Nobody expects a game to
appeal to everybody.

> Hasbro's expertise is in the casual gamer. I'd actually venture to say that
> a game that appeals to girls is liable to be one that isn't targeted at the
> *adolescent* male. Most adult, mature men will actually find gameplay
> oriented around building, nurturing, and communicating to be quite
> interesting if they have developed patience.

Girls, as a market for games, ar as diverse as boys. Different girls
like different things. Up to now I have the impression that attempts
have been made to create games that appeal to -all- girls.  This was
done  by writing to the stereotypical girl,  who does not exist  and
certainly does not buy computergames.

The whole talk about this 'emergent girl games market' is when some-
body realised that there are some 50 (or so) million girls out there
who are in the adolescent age and do not buy computer games.
There are also 50 or so million boys in the same age who also do not
buy computer games... Does this mean there is also an 'emergent boys
games market' ?

> > The single biggest explanation for why game companies don't 
> > aim at girls, though, is that they really don't know how.

> Game companies are 95% male, and also 95% under the age of 30.

> It's also self-fulfilling marketing--females don't tend to frequent the
> retail channels that games are delivered by, and don't consider themselves
> to be in the target market and therefore do not seek out product...

Hence we are back at the marketing, which I feel is the biggest
reason why so few girls buy games.

Marian
--
Yes - at last - You. I Choose you. Out of all the world,
out of all the seeking, I have found you, young sister of
my heart! You are mine and I am yours - and never again
will there be loneliness ...

Rolan Choosing Talia,
Arrows of the Queen, by Mercedes Lackey




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