The Games Girls Play

In a video gaming world where, despite the stereotype, approximately 38 percent of the audience is actually female, developers are finally increasing their efforts to make games that appeal more directly to women and girls.

Buoyed by ubiquitous female heroines and villains in games like Final Fantasy, Nancy Drew and The Sims— as well as customized storylines, puzzles and Nintendo's more gender-neutral Wii console system—the video game industry's efforts to be more attractive to women are becoming more noticeable.

According to a recent Entertainment Software Association (ESA) survey in 2006, women 18 years and older represent a greater portion of the game-playing population than do boys ages 6-17 (28 percent and 21 percent, respectively); and women aged 40 and over are spending nearly 50 percent more time playing games than males their own age. "As more and more gaming companies realize that women are a multimillion dollar market, they are creating games targeted toward [women] rather than the typical 18- to 34-year-old male," says Megan Gaiser, CEO and president of Her Interactive, the Bellevue, Wash.-based game developer.

The company this fall released its 15th installment in the Nancy Drew series for PC, entitled Creature of Capu Kave, a story that leads Nancy on a Hawaiian adventure. The Nancy Drew series, which has sold more than 4 million units to date, always incorporates puzzles along each mission—a common thread in most video games and one that appeals particularly to women. But all games are fair game, according to Gaiser. "Some women like shoot-em-ups, others prefer simulation and puzzle games," she tells PLAYTHINGS. "However, women do place a higher priority on social factors such as character development, plot and community."

She adds, "It's all about the storytelling." And storytelling is exactly what fans of Fox's Desperate Housewives will get with Buena Vista Games version of the popular TV series. The game has 12 different plots and secrets for players to unearth in Wisteria Lane. "Some of [a game's appeal for women] is the property and subject matter," says Mary Schuyler, the game's producer. "Desperate Housewives: The Game was made knowing that women already enjoy the TV show. Women tend to shy away from competitive games like first-person shooters, but as more women play games, and as they play games more often, I think they will enjoy games across all genres.

One thing Nancy Drew and Housewives have in common: both are made for PC, the platform women seem to prefer, according to the ESA. However, Schuyler believes Nintendo's Wii will change that. "A lot of times women will watch men play football or a first-person shooter on the console and not know there are other games for the console that they would really enjoy. I think this will change in the coming years as parents who grew up playing video games buy game consoles for their children, whether they have boys or girls."