Q:I agree that we need to provide many different styles of games because not all girls are alike, but it seems that thus far, the girl games titles do not reflect the true diversity of girls’ interests. Do you have a different perception?
Publishers have a history of wanting a copy of that which is popular at the moment, a problem I refer to as the "Get me some of that!" syndrome. What percentage of the market is now "knock-off" such as the Tomb Raider knock-offs? Pretty scary, I bet. How many original and creative titles never see the light of day because the publisher's marketing department couldn't figure out what sort of sell-through numbers to put on them? We have become a "hit" driven industry and it has hurt our creativity…but that's a subject for another whole column! The girls market at this time is no different. Barbie(TM) is selling like hot cakes and so publishers all want Barbie™ knock-offs. Thus, that is what you are seeing right now. As the market continues to mature and the publishers get a bit more confident, we will see more titles in more areas. After all, our market is really only about three years old now!
Q: Are you attempting to design games for all types of girls, or for a particular type of girl (like Tomboys for example)?
A: I simply design games that are fun. I’ve done a make-up/shopping game (McKenzie & Co.) I’ve done a romantic/horror/thriller RPG (Vampire Diaries) and I’ve done the classic detective mystery (Nancy Drew – Secrets Can Kill) and I’m currently working on an "extreme sport" game and a "simulation/resource allocation" game.
Q:Do you see girl games as a high-risk industry?
A:From the developers point of view….yes. And that’s because it’s really hard to convince the publishers to take a risk on this market. And, frankly, I understand that. If you are a marketing person and you are given a choice between a title for a brand new market that no one seems to knows how to get to or a title that is a Tomb Raider clone….and your job depends on selling a certain number of boxes… which one are you going to pick??
But I believe the rewards will be great for that visionary publisher who does take the risk with a line of high quality, well designed titles for girls.
Q: What can you tell us about your current project and when it will be released?
All I can say is one is an extreme sport title and the other is a simulation/resource allocation title.
A: What is your sense of the future of the female gaming market?
I think it’s in the publishers’ hands right now. They can make this market or kill it. If they approach it wisely by allocating sensible budgets and timelines and selecting knowledgeable developers, then it can be a solid part of any publisher's array of titles.
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