Girls Would Love Heavy Rain, Says CliffyB

[Xelien]

I liked Heavy Rain and I'm a girl, but I don't see how this would appeal to most non-gamer girls. Lets say Heavy Rain is more like a movie, well not too many girls like gritty dark mystery movies. I mean I defiantly know theres a good amount that do, including me, but I don't think marketing Heavy Rain to girls would've been a smart move.

Plus most the types of girls who read lots of women magazines are usually, at most, casual gamers who might have a DS and play Professor Layton or something.

 

[ThatFanBoyGuy]

Yes, there is a female charachter, possibly stronger roles than in other games, but the blantent strip tease at gunpoint in the club and the sex scene if you kiss, just proves that the female character is once again just a sex symbol for guys, even though she's more butch looking than the stereotypical girl in a game (shorter, smaller cup size, etc.)

 

[coldfrog]

My girlfriend loved watching this game so much that she is probably going to play through it. So I'd say Cliff is quite correct in his assumption. She's not much of a gamer, but every once in a while she gets into something, and this is one of those that worked for her.

 

[EnigmaHarper]

I would say the $60 price tag may also have something to do with it.

I mean I would totally own that game right now if I could afford the darn thing.

 

[Jumplion]

David Cage seems like a pretentious dick to me, so I don't think I could have bear it if it did outstandingly well.

Sometimes you need a little pretentiousness to move the damn medium forward (but that's a different topic for a later day...)

OT: An interesting thought on Cliffy here. While obviously not every girl, or indeed every gamer, is going to like Heavy Rain that doesn't mean that that is the rule. I can see Heavy Rain being marketed a little bit towards the XX chromosome, but it's too late for that.

 

[Woodsey]

David Cage seems like a pretentious dick to me, so I don't think I could have bear it if it did outstandingly well.

Sometimes you need a little pretentiousness to move the damn medium forward (but that's a different topic for a later day...)

Move it where? To scripts full of plot holes, or to games that are trying to be movies instead of embracing the medium's full potential?

 

[Veldaroth]

Uh yeah. The problem with labeling things "Girl games" is that the majority of the people in the gaming industry apparently don't know what girls like, since they're usually trying to sell us some sort of stupid pony riding sim or whatever when we are right up there playing the so called "games for guys."

I assume that, like me, all of the girl gamers who were interested have already bought and played this just like the guys did.
And yeah, I kinda doubt that women who read Entertainment Weekly even care about video games.
Besides all that, I'm a girl and I don't like crime drama at all, yet I loved this game. That's the problem with generalizations.

 

[Lissa-QUON]

Girls would only play Heavy Rain if it involved a scene where they got to take Taylor Lautner's shirt off with QTEs, then have them select a long list of feelings to talk about while he patiently listens.

Thats just disgusting. He's not at all attractive and Twilight is retarded.

Now Brad Pitt, on the otherhand...at least he's actually a man as opposed to an overdeveloped 14 year old.

Enh personally my vote is for Johnny Depp. I would so buy that game.

But scrap the "talk about feelings" bit.

 

[Veldaroth]

Yes, there is a female charachter, possibly stronger roles than in other games, but the blantent strip tease at gunpoint in the club and the sex scene if you kiss, just proves that the female character is once again just a sex symbol for guys, even though she's more butch looking than the stereotypical girl in a game (shorter, smaller cup size, etc.)

You're forgetting the imaginary break-in early in the game with her running around in her underwear

 

[Veldaroth]

I can honestly say that I've never known a female gamer, and with the attention spans of the girls I know, they'd be lucky to get past the intro cutscenes. Trying to market a game like this to women is effectively crippling its sales, as women won't play it and guys won't touch it because it's been branded a 'girl game'.

P.S. To all the 'girl gamers' who are about to rage at me for this post, please look at the following link first. (No, it isn't goatse, pain series or anything like that)

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/7214/4f7068c4dd4763680.jpg

Wow, no wonder you don't have any girl gamer friends

 

[Tehlanna TPX]

Girls would only play Heavy Rain if it involved a scene where they got to take Taylor Lautner's shirt off with QTEs, then have them select a long list of feelings to talk about while he patiently listens.

Thats just disgusting. He's not at all attractive and Twilight is retarded.

Now Brad Pitt, on the otherhand...at least he's actually a man as opposed to an overdeveloped 14 year old.

Enh personally my vote is for Johnny Depp. I would so buy that game.

But scrap the "talk about feelings" bit.

Seriously, we think enough about our own feelings. If I wanted to hear pissing and moaning about feelings from my significant other, I'd very likely be a lesbian. (not that there is anything wrong with that, just not my dice).

And Hmmmm Johnny Depp. Probably Pre-Pirates...after he had a bath.

 

[Raigne]

Girl gamer. Friend and I (another girl gamer) want to play Heavy Rain, but know no one who owns a PS3. She likes xbox, and I'm a PC gamer.

If you want to talk about missed opportunities in marketing, let's start with the one where they agreed to make Heavy Rain PS3 exclusive.

ETA: To the dude with no girl gamer friends... Let's see. Are resident evil 5 and army of two the equivalents for mac and cheese and instant udon? Because those are the last two console games we played.

 

[Lissa-QUON]

I can honestly say that I've never known a female gamer, and with the attention spans of the girls I know, they'd be lucky to get past the intro cutscenes. Trying to market a game like this to women is effectively crippling its sales, as women won't play it and guys won't touch it because it's been branded a 'girl game'.

P.S. To all the 'girl gamers' who are about to rage at me for this post, please look at the following link first. (No, it isn't goatse, pain series or anything like that)

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/7214/4f7068c4dd4763680.jpg

And that link was supposed to soothe the angry girls on this board how exactly?

 

[Casual Shinji]

It was the first game that actually sort of peaked the interest of my mother XD (that and the trailer to Last Guardian...what can I say? My mother has good taste).

Damn, your mother's pretty cool.

OT: Seeing as the only playable female character in Heavy Rain is naked and or sexualized half of the time, I doubt woman would find this very interesting (unless ofcourse they swing that way).

 

[Lissa-QUON]

Girls would only play Heavy Rain if it involved a scene where they got to take Taylor Lautner's shirt off with QTEs, then have them select a long list of feelings to talk about while he patiently listens.

Thats just disgusting. He's not at all attractive and Twilight is retarded.

Now Brad Pitt, on the otherhand...at least he's actually a man as opposed to an overdeveloped 14 year old.

Enh personally my vote is for Johnny Depp. I would so buy that game.

But scrap the "talk about feelings" bit.

Seriously, we think enough about our own feelings. If I wanted to hear pissing and moaning about feelings from my significant other, I'd very likely be a lesbian. (not that there is anything wrong with that, just not my dice).

And Hmmmm Johnny Depp. Probably Pre-Pirates...after he had a bath.

I assumed the bath thing went without saying.

 

[archvile93]

I'm a girl. Played it and it was ok. Not so much a video game in my opinion. More like a "choose your own adventure" movie. Not sure if this would work getting women on board, but I hate those magazines so I'm certain that I'm not their key demographic either.

This, I've been saying this since before it came out, but after they explained how the game would be played. Not the women won't get on board part, just the part that it's barely a game assuming it actually is one.

Edit: I just realized I didn't actually explain my stance on the subject at hand. Personally I really don't think it would've been a good thing to market it exclusively to girls, but I don't really know any so I'm not a good judge of this. Still I think he's making a pretty big assumption that all girls hate violence of any kind and just gush over touchy feely stuff, which I find to be a big and unverified one to make.

 

[archvile93]

Damn, I hit the quote instead of edit button by mistake. I really need to pay more attention.

 

[jewels931]

I'm ashamed to say that I am part of the demographic CliffyB spoke about (I hate crime shows though) and I loved this game! My older brother nagged at me for ages after I watched him play some to sit down and play it. He was also the one that told me to pick up the controller and play FF7 and Mass Effect, so the bastard now likes to think he knows what he's talking about. In short, I think that if it had been marketed to a much broader demographic, it would have definately made more sales.

 

[FrostyChick]

*angry snip*

I can honestly say that picture had a very negative effect on my opinion of you, not all girl gamers play "girl games" so quit it with the ultra sexist generalisation, just because I'm of the female persuasion doesn't mean I can't enjoy other games. (infact I have never once even looked at a so called "girl game")

OT: I'm a PC gamer (simply because I don't have the cash to spend on a PS3 and a PC was more usefull for course work and stuff -.-) so no Heavy rain for me