It seems that for the last few years 'enlightened' games
companies have been trying to find that magic formula, the holy grail of
politically correct gaming: the game for women. The argument goes, 'Lots
of women play games now. So if we make a game for women, they'll all buy
it, and we'll be coining it in.' With that, they run off and tell their
designers to make a game for women.
Designers, usually without the benefit of estrogen, sit and scratch
their heads and try to imagine what it is that women want. After a while
they decide that they haven't got a clue. Then they have a bright idea.
"If we put a female lead in the game, women will
identify with her. But since the majority of the market is male, let's
inflate her hooters to the max to make her a more 'rounded' character."
This is the sort of misguided thinking that has dogged the games
industry for years.
Actually, I think there is a very simple answer to what
women want in the games they play, and it is the same as what men want:
Good games that catch their interest.
Trying to make a game that will appeal to all women is
as misguided and patently idiotic as trying to make a game that will
appeal to all men, which no games company tries to do.
Men do not buy a game because it is made to appeal to all men, and
companies should not expect women to buy a game because it is made to
appeal to all women.
If there is one area of isolation between genders, it is
in terms of social interaction (essentially, a difference in hobbies and
interests). But it is a feature of online games nonetheless, and I feel
that the popularity of online games with women can be partially
attributed to the ability within the game to communicate with other
people.
To conclude, I do not think people buy games based on their gender; they
buy games based on their hobbies and interests.
Since this is the same with women and men, games
companies should just make good games, not try and make gender specific
games. It is time to abandon the notion of simply making 'games for
women. More About Learning Gambling.
