For vulgarcriminal, <user site="livejournal.com" user="nekofair

[karohemd]

BBC article for you to get your teeth into
I'm sure you have similar complaints to some of the commenters. Then again, nekofairy666 would probably love a pink playstation. ;oÞ

Comments

[vulgarcriminal.livejournal.com]

I love how they pretend the Frag Dolls are there for 'female empowerment.' That is, you know, instead of looking hot in tight shirts. I don't have a problem with the latter, only that they shouldn't be at the forefront of what women want when they were chosen primarily for their headshots.

I also love this:

'Playing a desperate housewife could entice women gamers'

Yes, because in my fantasy world, I want to be a desperate housewife.

[motodraconis.livejournal.com]

Pink playstation? Bleugh! I'm quite happy with my slimline special edition silver PS2 thankee very much.

And here's where my gamer-girl cred flies out of the window. Because I only have a PS2 because I won it as a prize at a Borg party, and er... I use it to play DVDs.
And er... despite working as an Animator in Computer Games for 10 years. (My 10 year anniversary for working in games dev was last Tuesday in fact.) Er... in spite of this, I never actually play any games.

Not because games don't push my feminine buttons... (when I do play games I only ever want to play beat-em-ups anyway.) But because I don't have any time to play games. I'm way too busy trying to generate my own computer art to have time to enjoy a game or even watch much TV. In this I'm not dissimilar to the other obsessive artists at work, all male, all, (like me) too busy to actually play any games.

Ah well, bad form I know, and something of a source of embarrassment for me.

I agree with vulgarcriminal though. Even if I had time I wouldn't want to play a desperate housewife character. (Nauseating!) I want to beat things up with gigantic swords spells and do crazy-combo backflips and stuff.

[raggedyman.livejournal.com]

and what about the blokes who might like a DH rp game?

[vulgarcriminal.livejournal.com]

Put them in the same category as the women who'd enjoy that nonsense: 'sad'

[belak-krin.livejournal.com]

I have to agree on the time thing, even though I love games, I only play about half an hour or so a week (I find that a spot of FPS action clears out minor creative blocks quite well) The art thing eats up your time like a ravenous beast.

I do think the idea that 'addressing the female market' always seems to boil down to making 'girly games' which is pretty much rubbish. While It might appeal to young girls (I don't think I've ever seen an 8 year old girl who doesn't own some pink), they've already stated that isn't the target audience they have trouble with.

I found the comments about teenage girls wanting to 'socialise' quite interesting actually, if you start to draw paralells between gaming and sports. Shocking I know, setting the geeks alongside jocks like that, but if you think about the kind of aggressive competive bonding guys tend to exhibit whilst playing sports and the kind of banter that surrounds your average game of Halo, its pretty much the same thing, only with less sweating.

Perhaps if they think that women want more 'social' aspects of games, they should start improving the multi-player elements of good games rather than making shopping simulators or whatever other ill-devised device they think will demonstrate their 'openess to the female market'.

As for the Frag Dolls, while their credibility as female gaming role models is somewhat shot in the foot by the photographs in tiny tops, they are hardcore gamers and good reviewers who have themselves pointed out the troubles of making games for girls (the review of princess Peach... on DS is particularly interesting).

Maybe the industry, like adolescent boys with a crush, should stop trying so hard?

[akonken.livejournal.com]

I hated pink when I was 8. Hated it. I tolerate it now, and even like it sometimes, but I would never buy an appliance purely because it's pink. I find that sort of pandering loathesome, in fact, and in general this article brings out the 'yeugh.'

Mind you, I'm not really the ideal market either. I don't play very many games, and those I do play are either CRPGs (or whatever they're called) and puzzle games. If they made more characters in games women who couldn't be used as a flotation device, maybe I'd play them. I'd certainly approve more.

[rirekon.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't be surprised to find that a large percentage of female gamers primarily play MMORPGs. While this could just be that MMORGPs are such a massive market I actually think it's because it's a genre which caters to a wide range of play styles.

I actually think there are more female gamers out there then the industry realises, it's just that some of them will be playing their siblings/parents/partners games and so won't show up on the statistics.

You may be surprised to know that casual gamers are a far bigger market than the hardcore gamer. So be proud to be part of the target market ;-)

[rathenar.livejournal.com]

*snort*

All I can think is to imagine some future conversation:

Guy: "And I'm a gamer."
Girl: "Oh, I play video games too!"
Guy: *disgustedly* "What, pink ones? ...yeah right."

Yeah, leave the industry to it. I'll be over here. Playing Mortal Kombat and cheering at the fatality moves. And letching on Scorpion.

[belak-krin.livejournal.com]

The trouble with the 'female characters are big boobs and no clothes' principle is that the majority (or at least proportionately to their use) male characters are either all muscles and no clothes, or chiselled and mysterious.

There's also the trouble that the female characters who aren't 'as' bad don't get as much advertising attention.

[zenmeisterin.livejournal.com]

I've posted a comment but I doubt it'll be put up.

Personally, everyone is making much to much of an issue about gender in videogaming. Saying girls shouldn't game or else bringing out pink fluffy consoles. Load of crap IMO.

[belak-krin.livejournal.com]

well you know, its a thorny issue. Gaming companies are scared they aren't selling to 50% of their possible audience ;)

[jholloway.livejournal.com]

The trouble with the 'female characters are big boobs and no clothes' principle is that the majority (or at least proportionately to their use) male characters are either all muscles and no clothes, or chiselled and mysterious.

The difference is what that means. Scantily-clad men are usually framed as powerful and strong, while scantily-clad women are usually framed as sex objects. Imagine if lithe, scantily clad pretty-boys were constantly being portrayed lounging around ... bending over ... taking showers. The relationship between the character and other characters in the game is not the same as the relationship between the character and the viewer, you know?

Even in games with kick-butt female characters, check out something like Soul Calibur II, where you get male characters who are either brutish and aggro or heroic and resolved, but no male characters who are uncertain, and female characters who are brutish and aggro, heroic and resolved, or doubtful and insecure.

Yes, absolutely. Bottom line: it sells. Maybe. I'm not actually sure about that. But even if it did, that's the whole question, right -- why do so few women play games?

You could have this conversation about RPGs, too.

[jholloway.livejournal.com]

Someone once said, anent RPGs: the question is not why so few women play games, it's why so few people do.

And yeah -- the casual market is a big part of the answer, viz. "a lot more people play games than you'd think."

[pinkapplejam.livejournal.com]

I saw the pink Playstation! Sakura pink. Glittery too! Win. However I already have a modded PS2 (hardcore!) and 4 pink Game Boys (Micro, GBA, Hello Kitty Pocket version and DS), no room for duplicate consoles (I have 16 incl. handhelds). I don't have time to play many games these days but I still buy them, play them, discuss them with friends and on forums.

BTW, I didn't like pink until I was 17. I started liking it in a semi-ironic way but now it's just on auto (pink + cute = money loss). When I was 12 I positively vomited that the only game obviously aimed at girls on the Game Boy was a shitty Barbie platformer that got crud reviews.

There are loads of games out there that can happily be enjoyed by girls (Bubble Bobble, New Zealand Story, most things by Taito, Nintendo and so on), it's just that the majority of games that are available and prevalent in society are aimed at guys, are very green, and Microsoft Halo Paying Machine Xbox-centric.

I am an important part of my section at work now as I am the only female! XD Funny, that. However my viewpoints seems to be invaluable, as Belak Krin says, regards companies being scared (I prefer "concerned") they are missing out on a massive percentage of the audience. Win for me.

I have a hypocritical view of Frag Dolls but I'm in a rush so won't bother going into a rant. XD What I will say is that I do not classify most of them as real gamers. I doubt every single member pwns their target audience, as they are not hardcore Halo gamers, they are paid to play a variety of games, not all provided by UbiSoft. This is not to say they are crap, it means they are not obsessive, but sadly they are mainly paid to play and look cool, which is surely against the point.

They are pretty and nice and marketable and cutout, but are not exactly a niche marketable thingm Ithink the concept is garishly mainstream.

...Oh yeah, my most recent ex's ex is one of the Frag Dolls.

[echo-echo.livejournal.com]

The Frag Dolls are cute though it must be said. And of the girl gamers I know, quite a high % are actually really attractive! And they are hardcore, would kick your ass at UT, types.