THQ: Girls Have Better Things to do Than Game

[Thais]

Why not just throw what's "feminine" and what's "masculine" out of the equation entirely and concentrate on what makes a good game a good game? I've yet to ever pick up anything solely because it's pink and covered in spangles, and the idea that somehow I've got to like something just because "it was made for girls" is insulting and disrespectful on a multitude of levels.

Now I'm going to go find something small and furry to kill in FFXII...

 

[Andy Chalk]

Damn right they have better things to do. Like making me a turkey pot pie!



(But seriously baby, come on, chop chop. I'm getting hungry here.)

 

[Thais]

Damn right they have better things to do. Like making me a turkey pot pie!



(But seriously baby, come on, chop chop. I'm getting hungry here.)

Sure...just put your hand on the cutting board and hold very still...

 

[Joeshie]

He isn't saying that girls don't play games, he is saying that games made specifically for girls don't sell. Take the time to read before you guys go nuts.

 

[raemiel]

Why not just throw what's "feminine" and what's "masculine" out of the equation entirely and concentrate on what makes a good game a good game?

Exactly, I've never bought a game because it's been heralded as 'the ultimate in masculine experiences' (though on second thoughts that sounds so bad it must be awesome!). When I buy a game I'm not doing it to confirm my gender or view on the opposite gender; I'm buying it because (hopefully) it is a good game.

Seriously, comments like from this mofo from THQ are just anachronistic and narrow-minded.

 

[Saskwach]

If I remember correctly, those were Digimon before it became a TV show. I still kind of remember an advert on T.V. for it.

EDIT: They were these right?
Image deleted for space.

Those were the ones! Though I remember them looking cooler. Perhaps it was a childhood version of "cool" that distorted my view of things.
[/nostalgia]

 

[Sackwak]

EDIT: They were these right?

[/quote]

Yeah thats them, were fun for ages. Then i got a PS2 and sorta forgot about it. Dunno where it is now

 

[Sixties Spidey]

Well, this sorta shows how sexist some game devs can be. Last time I checked, when people classify games under "games for girls", it essentially means games like Petz or Cooking Mama. Essentially, he is trying to aim at a stereotype, which is stupid. If he wants them to aim at women, he has to make them simple enough for them to comprehend and get some fun out of it, without the girlish tones. I know many female gamers would love that, as opposed to "girly ds games." type of tone. But why mobile games? We have portables for that.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

EDIT: They were these right?

Yeah thats them, were fun for ages. Then i got a PS2 and sorta forgot about it. Dunno where it is now[/quote]

We're still selling them And Cooking Mama is a great game. I'd say that Blaze, Msch (where is she?), and Jalil could put down some basic ground rules on "girly" games; usually being the same as "guy" games.

So boys don't have better things to do?

I would say "Yes, girls", but I'd get hit

 

[Larmo]

I don't think the writer looked at to many girls out there. But then again most games aimed exclusively at girls tend to annoy me, I liked Sims 2 but most cutesy games tend to make me fell like im being patronized, i just go play Bioshock and Assassins Creed instead.

 

[UninspiringlyNamed]

I think it's something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. He's right, of course, games aimed purely at girls don't sell. Game companies are aware of this (or at least, they believe this) and as a result aren't willing to commit the sort of resources to purely girl-oriented games that they do to 'ordinary' games. The result? What few that do come out are terrible, sexist, patronising affairs and as a result don't sell to anyone over the age of about 10. The games that tend to be played by girls are very rarely ones that target girls exclusively (see: The Sims, Animal Crossing, etc). In that respect, this guy has a point.

 

[Copter400]

Dammit, where's that delightful Mscherwhatchamahoozits?

 

[Girlysprite]

I think the guy is looking at the wrong games. The babrie-pony games do not sell very well, that is true. But there are other games with women as a target group as well. Has anyone checked flash games? Those are immensely popular amongst women. And they might not have 'female' stamped on them with glitters, the target group for this game certain is women.

Check ZP's review on peggle some time; he says pretty much the same.

 

[dthree]

So the guy is a bit sexist in his remarks, but a bunch of comments here are missing the point. He is specifically talking about mobile games. Sure lots of female players like casual games like on Pogo or games like Sims, but he's not disputing that.
He says: "But not in a million years would most girls connect to a mobile portal to download a game."
So the bigger point is context. It seems like when females are limited to just their phone, they often choose NOT to play games. Doesn't mean they wouldn't spend hours on WoW or PopCap if at home. It just means when they are out, they have "better things to do."

 

[Zoroastres]

I'll preface my comments by noting that I'm an unapologetic sexist. You know, I hold doors open for girls, and tend to be more polite, forgiving and patient than I am toward men.

Call me crazy, but I'd much, much, much rather spend three or four hours playing a game or reading a book than meandering through a shoe-store, or spend an entire day in a mall.

 

[Saskwach]

Dammit, where's that delightful Mscherwhatchamahoozits?

Apparently she has better things to do.

 

[Oh-Wiseone]

Women aren't into gaming because 90% of games are completly unappealing to your average female. Make a game that appeals to something a woman would like, and they just might buy it!
Nintendogs anyone?

 

[H0ncho]

What's the big thing here? It is a fact that the female demographic is less prone to playing videogames; it was proven earlier that about 10% of the participants on this forum was female... Obviously this kinda narrows down the business opportunities, no? And I somehow believe this guy is in a better position to evaluate the business potential of a given genre than most if not all the escapist forumers.

 

[Melaisis]

Did any of you actually read the damn article?

God, I swear the hype which circulates through The News Room rivals that of some tabloids. He's saying that the majority of causal gamers will never be arsed to connect to a mobile portal just to download more content for their phone. When on the go, or just waiting in a public place, women will usually resort to texting or awkwardly flicking through their old messages and music than actually doing something remotely fun and playing more games. The basic idea is that causal, mobile gamers are a lost cause because they don't want to spend money on smaller games or - as the article says - they simply have other things to do.

He's hardly talking generally here.

 

[Redtiebear]

I know of some girls that play pokemon and guitar hero and rock band

....I'm a girl, and I totally play all of those. XD

However, I can't necessarily say there really has been a "good" game targeted specifically towards girls...I know a lot of these Imagine games on the DS are targeted towards girls (I don't know many men who want to raise a baby or become a fashion designer in a game). I know a lot of girls gobble up Kingdom Hearts, and I enjoyed the first one, and then the second one became too muddled and yaoi-fangirl fodder (yes, more so than before). I'm an RPG fan, but that doesn't mean I don't like shooting me up some Locust in Gears of War, or rawking a Horde Warrior for hours. I'm 18 and work at a GameStop, and sometimes, guys approach me, assuming I know nothing except ponies in games.

Really, I think there's too much of a rift between the gender stereotypes of girls playing games and guys playing games. For guys, it appears sixth-sense, but for girls, it hasn't caught on yet. I think once they actually play a GOOD game, most likely not one of these junk "girl-specific" titles, they'll be more eager to play more and more games. Not even necessarily something as extreme as Gears of War....I play a lot of E titles, too. Good ones. Like Phoenix Wright, for the love of God. Someone needs a DS cannon to fire at girls. That'll get the job done.

Trying to wrap this up, girls who don't like games, I disown from my sex. Girls who don't dig guys 'cause they play games get a boot to the head (I think my 70 Paladin boyfriend is right manly, and if they don't, they don't know what dedication is. >.> In the end, try to make all-around GOOD GAMES more visible to girls, not shallow "girl-friendly" titles, and maybe we can turn the stereotype around.

....Like when Riku gave Kairi that blasted flower keyblade. Douchebag.