@sn1per420: Ugh. You couldn't tell I was joking???

StevenRafael

Female gamers like nintendo and FPSs, never met one who played MMOs in RL.

SpartanQ77

@kupoporo: I agree. The reason behind my decision to become a game developer is to make enjoyable and immersive games. The "girliest" game that I actually play is Pokemon Diamond, but other than that I love fighting, action, and RPGs.

I also don't understand the whole "girls aren't into competitive games" thing. My mom's sole purpose of learning how to play a game is to pwn her opponent. My friend (also a girl) used to have Halo 2 Tournaments whenever I went to her house. Girlz like headshots, too. :(

superfrogsavestokyo

I think roberta williams is still considered the best or at least among the best adventure game creators and writers? But does anyone else remember sierra online?

francoamerica

Just because some of you havn't met any female gamers doesn't mean we don't exist. I've been playing games for well over 20 years and just happen to be female as well.

Over time i've gotten bored with the FPS genre and tend to stick more to RPG's (both PC based and console J-RPG's), RTS and racing titles. I do own a DS but only play it on the train to work. If my DS runs out of batteries I have a few games on my phone. So I definately play for more than 7.4hours a week.

I really don't understand why some people find it so difficult to grasp that female gamers 1. exist and 2. enjoy all types of games as long as they are good (for any subjective value of good) not games about cooking pink horses.

Silver_Raven

Well, I could've told you that, a lot of my friends who are girls play video games, but I'm just more nerdy when it comes to it than they are... I think I'm going to let one of them borrow Megaman Anniversary collection.

Shaoko

I know a girl that plays more games than i do...she loves blood and violence, and the best part is that she is very beautiful!

Mike918

I know a girl that actually plays more videogames than i do...really and the best part is that she is actually pretty beautiful =D

Mike918

Ive been gaming my whole life, mostly RPGS, Strategy RPGS and FPSs.

SNES RPGS are my favourite because they contain all the classics (chrono trigger, earthbound, etc)

And because im a girl this is abnormal? why are ppl refering to games like The Sims and Animal crossing as "girl games" I hate both of thoes games.

GET OVER THE GIRL GAMER STIGMA

We play quality games 2 yah know :) there are more of us than you think

Molotov

@Shimmergeek: With the rise of casual gaming we're getting increasingly broad definitions of what a gamer is. To be fair it's hard to quantify; how many hours on what games qualify us? If a housewife plays 20 hours or Bejeweled is she more or less of a gamer than me if I play 10 hours of Halo 3?

Degreeless

Is this a US study?

Must me more female gamers in the UK I am one of them so is a few of my friends.

stromasdragon

Personally I don't know where they get these numbers from... I know some women play games; but based on anecdotal evidence the number seems to be far, far less than 38% (and that's based on a very very geeky set of friends - I very much doubt 'normal' girls play more than the geeks do)

I honestly don't believe those numbers for one second, unless it's counting things like playing the Sudoku in Brain Training on the bus to work; or games on your mobile phone or Solitaire or rubbish like that.

That does't make you a "gamer" imo.

I do know some female gamers, a lot of whom just play one MMO and no other games (afaik) and I only really know 2 who play a lot of games.

These numbers just don't add up to me :/

Shimmergeek

Perhaps, one of those significant numbers, will be my significant other....

LittlestLamshi

As a female gamer who works in the videogame industry, I'm getting a kick out of these responses. ;)

There is a surprisingly high percentage of female game developers at my studio. I won't say which because no one wants to believe that my company can do anything right.

@Xenobula: Seconded. I always said that I don't mind the "booth babe" and "femme fatale" mentalities so long as we see the male equivalents. Some games are doing this already (Final Fantasy and Soul Calibur are good examples), but it would be nice to see more.

kunibob

The funny thing I see is how the games that are allegedly targeted towards girls and women often play off of stereotypes, but games that are created BY women often violate those stereotypes (I am thinking of the wealth of PC and MAC games created by Roberta Williams (co-founder of Sierra, creator of games like the King's Quest series) and the other woman, I forget her name, who created Centipede). Considering how successful those games were, perhaps we should be having less Barbie and more Rosella.

relic1980

Does this turn anyone el-........Nevermind

Pieman2

I'm a female gamer (since I was 3) who got a degree in comp sci and became a software engineer for the sole reason that I wanted to make games. No game developers exist in my area and it's not currently convenient for me to up and move.

As for games for women? I'd love to see more hot half naked guys in my FPSs & fighting games. I mean, you guys get all the half naked big titty'd women. I just want the hot half naked guys to even things out a bit. (Note to self: can't wait to become a game developer)

Xenobula

Actually if you look at the Stats all the more educated professions are being "taken over" by women, more Women PHDs by 2020 IIRC, stuff like that. So I'm sure Game Design will become part of that eventually, as more and more women get better education and delay "family" decisions that may have kept them from participating in the past.

This is a great thing for gamers of both genders, IMO. I can't imagine that games aimed explicitly at men will ever die, just as Porn they are probably with us forever, but more variety and even some *gasp* games aimed at women that aren't focused on Patriarchal Stereotypes going forward will be nice.

DaiMacculate

@Elrinth: I assure you I am a real person.

And sadly, my grandma beats my fucking ass with Jade and Syndell... But I dont play MK that much, I prefer Tekken and SC3...

YUYU

I am a girl. And I am a game developer. I work for a studio and we have 2 women on the development team. the problem is... we both love "normal games". We both love Bioshock, Burnout, Oblivion, Mass Effect, and on and on.

The real issue here is that these games that get the time and money poured into them are targeted at GAMERS. Not an non-gamers. That is why the Wii and DS have done so well, they target at non-gamers. It is a catch-22 though: to design a game that is hard enough for Gamers and yet simple enough for people who have never played a game is difficult.

As far as a girl playing games, the only thing that turns me off is the same as in a movie. When the sex or sexual appearance is purely and entirely for show, meaning it can't be explained by the story, gameplay, or even given a halfway decent reason.

emberdione

i have a TON of girl-friends who play video games with me. all types of games in fact. Hell me and my sister grew up on it. its really not rare unless your a dormant nerd. Jus' get out- make some friends, and play some games together' sheesh.

And on side note (cuz i know this will be asked) NO their not fat low self esteem girls who play. Their hotties indeed. ^.^

King Seafoam

I'd like to be on the music side of the game industry someday. In Japan, there's definitely been a couple of prominent female composers but not so much here (here being the US). Although admittedly, I'm a bit more keen on playing music rather than writing, although I definitely have an interest in that as well.

teraphony

Oh yeah. :) Should I end up majoring in compsci, I'm definitely applying at Nintendo, which has conveniently moved to the Bay. And even if I end up doing English, same story with copyediting and localization perhaps? There were some truly abominable grammatical errors in the Ace Attorney series!

Pammeh

I'm a lady gamer and I don't necessarily think it matters what gender is behind creating the games ... it's more about the actual minds, no? I mean, if twelve guys are better than twelve girls at producing video games, I'm totally fine with that. Why does gender matter so much in the end anyway? Backwards sexism, I think ...

kupoporo

Honestly, I just want a game to be good. Or fun. Sometimes they both don't come in the same game--I've played and enjoyed DOA: Xtreme Beach Volleyball because I play volleyball and I liked ridiculing their outfits. I played Mortal Kombat back in the day because I enjoyed the thrill that came with completely owning someone.

You see, we're not that different from guy gamers--some of us can just tolerate blood, gore, and boobs more than others.

ChellABD

My Fiancé is a bit of a gamer herself. I hadn't planned on picking up a new system until we played Wii at her friends. She's hooked and determined to kick my butt on any and every level or match.

zeke009

Didn't Tori already post about this study a couple of days ago? Please refer to my long-winded comment in that thread.

ach77

When I was younger, I looked into going to college in pursuit of learning a few different types of game design. The decision was almost a done deal, but I had read a few horror game development stories about a few different games.

I thought 'Is this what I want? Would I eventually come to hate games because of various reasons linked to developing a game? Would I really ever get a chance to make a game I've envisioned?' I looked to the state of the industry for the current pulse at the time and this was as EA was buying and ripping apart studios like Westwood, Origin and Bullfrog. Soo, yeah, the outlook was pretty bleak.

After a bit of soul-searching, I simply decided not to take that plunge. I don't think I could stand to be responsible for making a bunch of possibly crappy games to get enough recognition to have the slim chance to helm making a game of my own.

Sythlia

Got my ass handed to me in GeOW by some chick, she was sick with the shotgun. My GF is fairly good at Rock Band with the whole sining, drums and guitar. So yea wow females are good at games to, but theyre just too small a number to notice in the playing field.

CenatorC

@Elrinth:

Old Grandma Hardcore would have more than few four-letter words with you...

Byakko

HA HA, surely you jest good sir...

Oyako

If Potal and Uncharted are examples of what happens when you have women making games please continue. I know games are made by a team but Kim Swift was project lead. Uncharted had Amy Hennig as game director IGN did an interview with her: [ps3.ign.com]

Kinburn

YUYU sounds fake... ;)
girls who play games are imaginary. the i.

your grandma playing mortal kombat? I think she was forced to test it and once she had she hasn't tried it since. :)

Elrinth

@StevenRafael: Wow, that's incredibly ignorant. If you read the article, you'd see that girls like MMOs and FPSs the same as guys do.

sn1per420

I don't see the issue here. While "girls play games" is quite a provable fact, I'm sure the amount of women who actually want to pursue a career in games is eclipsed by men. It's a matter of numbers, really. Plus, the interest of women going into the industry is unlikely one of wanting to design specifically for women. First, you'll never get a publisher to really buy the idea (in which case, I'd recommend adding aesthetically-pleasing-to-women components to titles), and second, gaming is normally a visceral thrill. While you may be moved by Aeris' death, it's the stuff that keeps you on the edge of your seat that makes you play more.

It's no different than, for example, saying there's not enough men creating soap operas (don't know if this is true) - I just don't think a lot of men aspire to it.

dunetiger : apples are red

Yay, way to proliferate the stereotype of sexist gamers. Glad to see that some of us here seem to have a level head. Women designing games is a GOOD THING. New perspectives in any industry can only lead to progress. The interesting thing will be to see how women designers can (hopefully) change some fundamental issues of gender in games (such as all the guys having huge biceps and all the girls having huge boobs), i.e. the world of video games will be less like Lara Croft and more like Samus Aran.

peAr_nectAr

I bloody wish for 7 hours a week. Stupid school.

I took classes for game design and digital media. I learned I wasn't a team player. That's all I'll say about that.

I still love a good co-op mode, though.

VioletArrows

Maybe womens DO hare more smart than mens. You can get much more money elsewhere, than creating games. The people that create games are doing it, mostly because strongly want to do it. Is not enough to be a genius, or a very good professional, etc.. you have to fight for it.

note: I don't think womens are more or less smart than mens, but hare, obviusly, different.

tei

Well, I'm working on the "becoming a video game designer" thing at the moment (as much of a long shot as that always seems), going to school for computers/art. For me, when it comes to video games (or really anything), the whole being female thing is completely coincidental. I've played video games from a young age and like all different kinds of games, from shooters to RPGs, to music games, to RTS, to some casual games. I'm not different, really, and neither are a lot of my female friends who play video games, too. I just happen to have some tits I never really asked for. A good game designer is a good game designer and I don't think it should matter female or male, or more male than female designers or vice versa. I just want to play fun, well designed and original games.

タイヘン

@Anthropomancer:

Funny. Except not.

YUYU

I'd like to give a big "Fuck you" to all the stereotypical douches here.

But first let me just say- 7.4 hours a week??? I play at least 6 hours a day...

Anywayz, I'm a female gamer, and I've been gaming for my whole life. It wasn't my boyfriend or brother that got me into gaming, it was my FPS/Arcade fighter obsessed mother that got me into gaming. My favorite games are Metal Gear Solid, God of War 2, Silent Hill, Tomb Raider, Tekken, Soul Calibur, and Shadow of the Colossus. Not mother fucking cooking mama. Even my grandma plays mortal kombat. And the "girliest" game I own is Xenosaga, but I'm not even really into it.
Gaming is a very big part of my life. And to this day, I have NEVER met a guy as into gaming as I am. EVER. I haven't even met a guy as into gaming as my mom is.

One day, I hope to be a character designer for games.
:)

YUYU

I know a great DS game women would love .. and it doesn't have to be about cooking or horses.

I'm F*$(% Ben Affleck - Nintendo DS

SchoolBusDriver

@TrekVogel: I'll second that, gladly.

Degreeless

There are some really stereotypical comments here...

Why would you assume women want everything to be pink or contain horses or be about cooking or some other typical female household activity? Here's an idea! Let's make a game for women where they can wash and iron pink horses. That will sell!

Has it ever occured to you that girls like many of the same games guys do? Okay, Halo or things too nerdy don't appeal to most but there have been games that girls enjoy for ages. Tetris, Animal Crossing, Wii Sports. My girlfriend likes Raving Rabbids and there is nothing girly about that game, she is by no means a gamer.

You have to understand why men and women play games. Guys in general want to win, games are a competition. Girls have that too but in a lesser degree, they can play non-games for ages and have fun doing things guys would probably consider absolutely pointless.

TrekVogel

All the girl gamers I know are fanatical Guitar Hero nuts. The two exceptions are the tomboyish one who is just as much a shooter fan as the average guy and the girly-girl who plays Final Fantasy because the protagonist is cute. Otherwise, no variation in the pattern of "Oooh Guitar Hero" at the current situation. I'm just saying, a few rounds of Soul Calibur once in a while are appreciated ladies.

Mattz

I think we've reached the point at which saying "Wow, teh gurlz playz teh videogamz toos" is fairly redundant, we know they play videogames, we know they play them just as feverishly and as well as the boys. Do we need more women making videogames?

Well no, not 'need', we don't just drag them in off the streets and scream "Make games for you are women and we have quotas!". Sure, I'm happy with more equity in the equation, but I don't think women should be included because they're women, but because they're passionate about the industry and have the drive and vision that all designers, programmers etc etc shuld have. This should not be an issue of gender but of getting the best talent 'behind the scenes' and I am confident that there are plenty of women who fit the bill.

Degreeless

Whoo boy! An article MADE me for me to sink my teeth into!

But alas, dinner calls. Will be back later...

FYI, I'm studying for a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with Animation as my Major. My end-life goal is to hit the big time as a Creative Director, and subsequently get my own studio and play with the big boys from Studio Ghibli to Pixar. Games are a big thing now, with plenty of studios open in Singapore, so I'd prolly be working in a games studio first right after I graduate.

Really wish I could stay, but ack, dinner!

Byakko

I personally don't care which gender makes what game as long as it's good. Both genders are perfectly capable of making a good game.

As for a game made specifically for women, hmmm... I am most likely going to pass. I don't want a) naked guys in my video games, b) desperate housewife mmo, c) makeup-mama.

Naia

I'd personally love to break into the gaming industry. Either that or film. :)

Wuffles

This is exactly what I said last time on that Jezebel article (g'day if this gets linked there!)- we need more women making games that can appeal especially to women. Since when do guys know what women want?

Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.

my wife daughter and son are playing games also my mother , mother in law and even my grandma are playing Wii!! (strangely enough my father in law and grand pa dont play games... why because they think it makes them look stupid >.<

maiky-nisute

I don't want a Sex and the City MMO, thx.

Anthropomancer

I think game companies are very willing to hire girls, maybe even moreso then boys nowadays. And slowly more girls are becoming interested in persuing this career. But I don't have anything to back this up, just the impression I've gotten.

Yin

What interests me is this: the women who are interested in making games nowdays weren't raised on so-called "casual fare" - they played and enjoyed the same games that guys were playing. And it's those people, men and women both, who are the ones entering the game industry now, only to find that the kind of games more called for today are different from the ones they grew up liking.

I'd love to see a woman/some women in the above-mentioned vein working in producer and directorial roles, and see in what ways the games that carried their mark were different from offerings developed by the traditionally-male developer base. I think my question is more like, "Given the incessant prevalence of marketability, would there be any recognizable difference at all?" Would such a game possess some "feminine sensibility," or, since these women grew up with male-oriented fare, would the games they made be right along those more typical lines? Maybe I'm overestimating the amount of personal aesthetic directors get to put into their games, but it's something work thinking on, at least.

tenken

Manny, she's a girl, she makes games, she looks great.
Ubisoft can't hide this from us! They have to let the world know!

Who else is hiding woman! Nintendo?

Gigith

More women in the gaming media would be a good start.

Just look how Jade Raymond was whored out by Ubisoft to sell Assassin's Creed. That would've never happened if the press were women.

Manny

@StevenRafael: Your right on the first part, just add more indigo prophecy (The story, not the crap "gameplay") into games.

Look at FF7, I never played it, but girls seem to like it because I would guess it has a good story.

My point is that they don't need to go make a bunch of horse training games, they just need to add more depth in the story of other games.

@Prinnygeddon!: Just my point.

Gigith

@dexterr: dude, you know as well as I do that wouldn't happen. I think it would be a fine change. And maybe, just maybe we would see something new, something revolutionary that may change gaming for ever. Of course thats a stretch but I can see no harm in letting women have more say into what goes on in the world of video games.

Balance_In_Life (PSN)

There are more female game designers now than in the past. I recall it was about 1% a few years back (if not a decade ago). We also see more being the lead on their vision title hoping to break into the industry. I don't think they typically focus on making games specifically for women. You limit your market-share chances that way.
What you do is make it open to both sexes by asking consumers what they want specifically.
We also see that sometimes women simply like doing what their boyfriend is doing or something that they like to work on continuously instead of just simply actions titles.
There is the highly attractive aspect of something "cute" in a game that will attract girls/women to a game. If things simply look pretty or cute, its likely to attract some girls/women.
Give the time for women developers more time to grow, we do have that women's developer conference, no?
Can't expect numbers of players to somehow equal developers instantly...that's just ludicrous. Not everyone wants to make games...

超外人

Man, I suck.

**Imagine a multiplayer version of Cooking Mama....***
**Or a My Horse & Me training and racing game as beautiful....

StevenRafael

I was in bed playing the Devil May Cry 4 demo with my gf a few nights ago.
I expected her to be just a button masher, she actually did better than me.
I'm not talking to her since.
On the other hand, give her a girly game (like those Disney or Barbie stuff) and she'll kill you with a controller.
I don't think female gamers are so different from us, the boys, but I agree, women are extremely rare in the industry, at least, on the production side of the industry...

Prinnygeddon!

they want everything in pink or the ugly purple.

dexterr

Ugh. It's getting late.

***Imagine a multiplayer version...***

We need an edit button.

StevenRafael

All we really need is the same crap we have on the market right now for female gamers, but with more polish & AAA traits.

Imagine a version of multiplayer version Cooking Mama as intense and competitive as Super Smash Brothers. Or a Horse training & racing game as in beautiful or customizable as Gran Turismo.

Yes, no?

StevenRafael

I just don't really understand what a game for a woman is, I know what a game NOT for woman is.

Alot of games just seem to be fine for everyone.
Like Animal Crossing, The Sims, stuff like that.

I don't like it when devs think they need to go off and make a game just for girls. I feel left out, and why can't I say the N word?

Gigith

He's right. Like booth babes advertising those games.

ArmyofJuan

Hmm, so we should.. make more games for them?
What are games for woman? Games that have no big boobs in them? Huh?

Gigith