Question of the Day, November 5, 2010

[Twilight_guy]

They could try to make ads more neutral gendered but advertising specifically to females, besides leading to often hilariously botched attempts to figure out what girls like, seems to just be swinging to the opposite end of the gender gap. I think games really should be able to appeal to both sexes equally and thus specific advertising is not necessary.

 

[theevilsanta]

My wife almost bought a ps3 just to play Heavy Rain. A bit more directed advertisement might have pushed her over edge. So there's some lost money.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Zomg! Women are so different! We must add more shoes!

Or... you could treat them like humans. And men too, while you're at it.

 

[Veldt Falsetto]

NO! Games companies are terrible at doing this, advertise to everyone and it's fine, if other people had a more open mind we wouldnt have to advertise to specific audiences anyway.

Case in point

Spoiler: The Horror

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYEb9E3X7dI&feature=related

 

[Sparrow]

No. Admittedly, I'm always negative toward topics such as this but my opinion remains: I don't think it's a big deal at all.

 

[Dahni]

If we're going to play the game, we will.
There is absolutely no way to advertise most games to women. Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, Gears of War, etc. will never appeal to a woman no matter how carefully you advertise it if it didn't appeal to her in the first place.

 

[rsvp42]

I just think marketing should focus on what the game has to offer and showcase that. We don't need game commercials that pull what movie trailers sometimes do and try to make some wishy-washy "emotional" version that some committee decided was more appealing to women. If a game has fast combat, feel free to make a trailer that shows that. If it has an emotional journey, make a trailer that shows that too. Or make one that shows both. But don't pretend that a mindless fighting game is anything other than a mindless fighting game because you're worried about demographics.

On the other side of the coin, I think gaming should continue expanding its storytelling and gameplay into areas that aren't all about combat, which is admittedly masculine. If developers are worried that they're not catering to women enough, then the solution is to make good games that have that appeal (and not just assume that women are giant crying ovaries with shoes). Don't rely on the marketing department to cater to new demographics, make games that do that.

 

[Numb1lp]

Game companies should advertise to gamers.

 

[Lyndraco]

I tend to agree with most people, by directing advertising at "women gamers" you are going to do more alienating than drawing people in. It also suggests that they are ignoring all the current gamers who are women that don't need targeted advertising. Its sexist to suggest that women need special treatment in regards to advertising. If they like it or the game seems interesting, they will play it.

Gender neutral is the way to go--show me multiple aspects of a game, and I will be more likely to buy it than if I only see one aspect of a game.

 

[Yankeedoodles]

Female orientated TV adds?
As long as they don't include Justin Bieber or Edward, I don't see why not

I don't see how Heavy Rain was more catered to men.
Perhaps Cliffy thinks Sony should've added more unicorns?

http://images.intomobile.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Robot-Unicorn-Attack-1.jpg

What's wrong with unicorns? They're basically just horses with erections sprouting from their foreheads. I find them really creepy.

 

[Le_Lisra]

They should just develop them with a broader audience in mind (oh that sounds SO MUCH like an invitation to dumbing it down, but its not)...

My gamer girl friends are not exposed to a great deal of advertising anyway (through their own choice) so it wouldn't matter to them anyway. The game itself is the important bit.

 

[CosmicCommander]

Are you mentally deficient?

How the hell are you seriously suggesting the advertising agencies don't consider these things and shouldn't be allowed to target who they want?

Do you people not understand how the free market, supply and demand work?

What is this... I don't even...

I was pretty much thinking this. And I sighed when I realised that people on the Escapist can't grasp this idea.

 

[Dora]

I still don't understand what advertising targeted towards me is supposed to look like. Women are not that complex. I promise you just as many of us are interested by the rail shooter/space marine type games and their marketing as we are intrigued by The Sims or whatever.

The only thing I would offer is it might be neat to see games where you can play a protagonist of either gender more clearly advertised as such. The promotional material you see online and on tv for games like Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect, Fable 3, etc, all feature only male heroes despite the fact that you can play as a chick if you are one/want to. It'd be nice to see a balance between the commercials, less because of equality, and more because not every gal has her finger on the pulse of gaming society and tends to rely on these advertisements to decide whether she wants to play a game. Obviously gender shouldn't be THE deciding factor, but watching a commercial for a game you already suspect will be rad and going, "Oh, hey, there's bosoms under that space armor! Just like I would have!" does tip the balance a little. Especially if it's an RPG.

So, TL;DR if you have a game where you can play either male or female characters, maybe rotate the commercials to show both so you cast a wider net.

 

[minarri]

Cliffy seems to think Heavy Rain should have been packaged with nail polish and loofahs. I don't support that kind of stereotyping--if women want to play a game then they'll play it. I really don't want this women's magazine-styled "targeting" messing things up.

 

[UnravThreads]

I'd just be happy if they stopped targeting ads at men, where "men" is taken to mean males who let a pair of large breasts make their purchasing decisions for them.

Yes, this is the bigger issue in advertising. When devs and advertising people realise that chainmail bikinis and platemail thongs are passé and utterly ridiculous then maybe we'll get somewhere.

Edit:
I also think that the games that appeal more to women (The Sims, many of the DS titles) or are the major types of games that female purchasers buy (Like Puzzle, I think. Could be wrong on that one) are generally marketed towards women anyway. I don't see the Sims as a "men's" title, it's a unisex title that has been received well by women and that's sort of where they aim it. I think The Sims Medieval is potentially a game being released to try and recapture some of the male audience, or at least to appeal to them.

 

[Psydney]

games are advertised, period. i don't understand how one would "advertise to women" specifically-it's not as though women inhabit a separate world with different ad media. we're reached by the same ads that reach men.

The only thing that might be nice is games with gender choices in protagonists making that a little more obvious. I wouldn't have minded a trailer or two with a female version of Shepherd from Mass Effect, say. But if the marketing machines that try to target women continue doing it by adding pink somewhere then no, thanks.

 

[SomebodyNowhere]

Market to them more and hopefully we'll get more stories like this
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/105061-Warning-Dont-Play-Dance-Central-Naked

 

[Aurora219]

It's up to the advertisers if they think it's profitable. I think they'd get a fair bit out of it, myself.

 

[kouriichi]

"Hey girls~
Tired of always being bored!?!?
Cant drive in real life because your car is/was/currently-may-be wrapped around a tree!?!?
Then try the New Need For Speed!
Because crushing pedestrians in video games is legal!"

Sorry. Thats the first thing that came to mind when i read this question.

Whenever they try to "target" a specific race, sex, or age, they always over do it. Like children and coloring, or teenage boys and huge breasted women firing shoe mounted deagles ((cookie if you catch that referance)).

They shouldent market directly to women. I mean, im devoutly sexist and i think that WOULD BE SEXIST.