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by
Dave.mac
on 7/17/00
Article
Discussion Forum
The Dark Ages
It seems that for the last few years 'enlightened' games companies
have been trying to find that magic formula, the holy grail of
politically correct gaming: the game for women. The argument goes,
'Lots of women play games now. So if we make a game for women,
they'll all buy it, and we'll be coining it in.' With that, they
run off and tell their designers to make a game for women.
Designers, usually without the benefit of estrogen, sit and scratch
their heads and try to imagine what it is that women want. After
they have dispelled the idea of cooking or embroidery games (it's
not Victorian times after all) and flicked through a few issues
of Cosmo, they decide that they haven't got a clue, but they had
better come up with a quick fix before they get sacked. Then they
have a bright idea. "If we put a female lead in the game, women
will identify with her. But since the majority of the market is
male, let's inflate her hooters to the max to make her a more
'rounded' character." This is the sort of misguided thinking that
has dogged the games industry for the last 5 years or so.
Games for All
Actually, I think there is a very simple answer to what women
want in the games they play, and it is the same as what men want:
Good games that catch their interest. Trying to make a game that
will appeal to all women is as misguided and patently idiotic
as trying to make a game that will appeal to all men, which no
games company tries to do.
Let's have an example. Games companies make sports games to appeal
to sports fans. Look at the way the games are structured with
their multiple camera angles, replays and stats. It is a simulation
of how the sport is watched, not how it is played. It appeals
directly to the fans and their experience with the sport. It is
a game for sports fans, not 'for men.'
Men do not buy a game because it is made to appeal to all men,
and companies should not expect women to buy a game because it
is made to appeal to all women. Taking the example above, sports
fans buy sports games because they are made to appeal to sports
fans. Fans of sci-fi films will buy futuristic games because the
games appeal to them. People who customize their car will buy
driving games.
Generally, people buy games that reflect their own interests and
experiences as well as expand on those experiences to offer a
certain element of wish fulfillment. I like to play soccer, and
I can do that with my friends any time. But I cannot play in a
World Cup game without the aid of my PC. I enjoyed The Matrix,
but only games like Unreal Tournament allow me to come close to
taking part in those cool action sequences. I love Star Wars,
but I am never going to blow up the Death Star without the aid
of X-Wing Alliance. In summation, my gender may have some influence
on what movies I watch or sports I play, but I do not think it
changes the fact that I will buy games that reflect my personal
interests and experiences.
The Path to Enlightenment
Perhaps gender influencing interests and experiences is the 'way
in' for those companies hoping to create a game for women. Leaving
aside arguments about the whys and wherefores or pros and cons,
the life experiences of women are often different from the life
experiences of men. However, publishers seem unable to comprehend
what those differences might be or how they shape women's lives.
'Women like soap operas, so why don't we make a soap opera game'
is something I have heard more than once in the industry. This
is flawed for a number of reasons.
First, it is a gross over-generalization. Not all women like soaps,
and besides, following my earlier logic, the game should be created
for soap lovers, not just for women. Second, I do not think there
is a huge crossover between people who watch soaps and people
who play games. Women (in general) may watch soaps, but do women
game players watch soaps? Finally, it fails to get to the root
of why people watch soaps. Soaps (mind numbing though they are)
are about the changing lives of people and their social interactions.
There are very few games that incorporate these elements. There
are some; The Sims is a great example and one that more publishers
and developers should examine carefully.
The Road Ahead
If there is one area of differentiation between genders, it is
in terms of social interaction (essentially, a difference in hobbies
and interests). Online games automatically include social elements
because players can interact socially with other people that are
playing the game. One of the different life experiences of women
that generally differs from men is the level and type of social
interaction and communication they are used to, and online games
(often unintentionally) take a step towards bridging that gap.
This is not necessarily the point of the game; Quake III is not
a simulation of sitting down and chatting over a cup of coffee.
But it is a feature of online games nonetheless, and I feel that
the popularity of online games with women can be partially attributed
to the ability within the game to communicate with other people.
To conclude, I do not think people buy games based on their gender;
they buy games based on their hobbies and interests. Since this
is the same with women and men, games companies should just make
good games, not try and make gender specific games. It is time
to abandon the notion of simply making 'games for women.'
Dave.mac is the Creative Director of The
Games Kitchen, and has been involved with the design and production
of over 20 completed games projects for web, mobile phones and GameBoy.
And yes, he has been asked by publishers to design games 'for women'.
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