The Realities of Girl Gamers: Headshots, Not Highlights.
By Susan Allen
My favourite colour is pink, I am listening to an old McFly song as I write this, and the game paused on the TV screen is Bioshock 2.
NOT Nintendogs.
In this day and age it is not rare to find a girl who dabbles in the ‘serious’ gaming world. Yet companies such as Nintendo have stereotypical adverts where girls are playing such ‘casual’ games as U-Sing : Girls Night on the Wii and Girls Life: Makeover on the DS. I imagine this puts a lot of potential young girl gamers off when mainstream games made by the big companies such as Ubisoft and Eidos, are not marketed at them.
The most obvious example of this marketing would be games like Nintendo’s Wii Fit, and the Ubisoft game, Your Shape and EA Sports Active 2, and various dancing games that we’ve all seen before, across all platforms. In particular Xbox’s up and coming Kinect, which is a revolutionary idea of controller-less gaming.
Microsoft (manufacturers of Xbox) instructs that “...you simply step in front of the sensor and Kinect recognises you and responds to your gestures.” During the gaming conference E3 in Los Angeles, it was primarily demonstrated by women, and aimed at family gaming, and that was it for female gaming.
I have been playing games since I could pick up a controller. My earliest console was a Super Nintendo (SNES). But since then, the Sony Playstation has taken my loyalty; I have owned all the Playstation consoles including the Sony PSP. I have played, completed and mastered such games as Tekken, Soul Calibur, Legacy of Kain, Prince Of Persia and my personal favourite Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Most of the female friends I grew up with are gamers, so where this stereotype comes from, I’m not sure.
When I typed ‘Girls Guide to Gaming’ into a search engine it came up with a book. An entirely pink book full of hints and tips and ‘All the game Gossip’ a girl would ever need. For games such as Animal Crossing: Wild World, My Sims, Purr Pals, Sonic Rush Adventure, High School Musical, and Zoo Tycoon. What is more insulting in this pink book of stereotypes was that it is, sadly, the world’s only dedicated cheat’s guide strictly for girl gamers.
Another sad fact about how the Major Game manufacturing companies view a woman’s wants in a game was the shameful Final Fantasy X2.
Being a fan of many Final Fantasy titles, I gave this game a go, luckily I had only rented it from Blockbuster, on sale, with free credit, because after the first 11 minutes I wanted to storm into Squre Enix’s main office and slap them with the box.
They had tried to make a game targeting women. During battle you can change your outfit with things called dress spheres, they sing karaoke, and are generally just... well, below par for a Final Fantasy game.
The general feeling among Girl Gamers about the stereotyping in game adverts is one of disappointment. Phillipa, 19, says, “As a girl gamer, I am disappointed that in commercials, it seems that girls only want to play family based games, or that they only play games that are not seen as 'serious' such as Call Of Duty.”
Sian, 21, adds: “The stereotypes are a bit unbelievable, really. I mean, is it possible that some gaming developers have actually managed to forget the entire other gender? However, that said, this stereotype is actually being broken down a little nowadays, but let’s face it, progress is slow!”
As for how these women reacted towards the games that are specifically marketed at them, there was a sense of frustration. Hayley, 20, says: “Games that are directed specifically at girls are, in my view, pointless and dull.”
And finally I asked them what they look for in a game. Hayley continues: “Something that looks entertaining, something not too expensive and something with good graphics or ratings.”
“I tend to look for an engaging storyline and good characters... if the blurb catches my attention with some sort of story then I will take the time to at least think about it as a purchase.” Says Sian.
Women are notoriously attracted to games with a strong story line and compelling characters, as proved in our choice of movies, books and actions. But not just that, we also look for good graphic style and a high quality battle system.
Women do not claim to be better than male gamers, in team games such as Counter-strike averagely male dominate the competitive scene, though a few female teams have managed to break through. Unfortunately, when large organisations hire a female team it is often a marketing ploy, and not based on their actual talent or skill.
In conclusion, ladies shouldn’t be put off by this male-dominated industry. Many girls play games, many girls enjoy games. Especially during those times where you just want to scream at someone, pick up a controller and practice your headshots on games such as Call of Duty, Counter-Strike or Medal of Honour, or button-bash your way through fighter games such as Tekken, Street Fighter and Soul Calibur.