Q: You mentioned that you "develop games girls really want to play, not games you think girls should play." Can you explain this, and give examples of what types of games/game content others think girls should play?
A: There is a strong desire to make all girls' games "educational" somehow. The emphasis becomes "what can we teach the girls while they play?" rather than "How much fun can the girls have while they play?" That is never a requirement for traditional market entertainment titles, yet somehow it seems to be for girls titles. It becomes what WE (the developer/publisher) think the girls should want to play rather than what the girls ACTUALLY want to play. Now don't get me wrong, I certainly believe educational software has a place. Educational software for girls is a fine idea. However, I believe that all kids, regardless of gender, should have time to just……well…..be kids and play. That in and of itself is a learning procedure for kids. Why has this become a luxury we no longer afford our girls when it comes to computers?
There is also a big push to make "politically correct" software; software that "empowers" or "enlightens" girls. While the intentions are good, the realization is too heavy-handed and preachy. We end up seeing things like a game's main character saying things like, "I don't have to do that! I'm an empowered girl!" No kid likes to be preached to, particularly when they are supposed to be having fun! It all goes back to girls/women not being allowed to see computers as an entertainment media. If we make a pointed effort to teach the girls a lesson every time they sit down at the keyboard….how much fun is that?? We need to design software that is FUN for the girls. That means challenge their mind, keep their interest and involve them with topics that interest them. IF we can do that, the empowerment and educational stuff will follow.
Q: Why do you think it is necessary to create and market computer games just for girls?
A: When I started looking into developing games for girls, I did a lot of in-store surveys and demos at places like Electronic Boutique and Software Etc. I would always ask what girls wanted in games. Instead of ideas about types of games or genres, I would get the same response. "Oh, I work on one of those things all day long. Why would I want to turn one on when I got home?"
This baffled me. If you worked at a television studio all day, you probably would still turn on the TV when you got home. If you worked in a movie production house, you would probably still go see movies.
Then it became clear to me. Women were not being allowed to see the computer as an entertainment medium. Up until two years ago there were essentially no entertainment titles out there for females. All the titles marketed to women were productivity oriented; home budget programs, recipe/cooking programs, genealogy, etc. Women were being forced into a productivity-user-only role.
Now, the majority of guys who are in this industry are here because they played some really cool game when they were young. Maybe "Castle Wolfenstein" (remember that one?) or something. Then they started designing levels for it and thinking, "Wouldn’t it be cool if I could do this for the rest of my life?" And they did.
Now, somehow, I can’t imagine any girls thinking that after spending half an hour with "Mavin Bacon Teaches Typing. "
If we don’t allow girls to have fun with technology today, we cannot expect women to excel in technical fields tomorrow.
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