Issue 3, vol. 1 - May 2005

Video games have become a bigger industry than Hollywood and marketers are climbing over each other to capture the attention of the young male gamer. While it’s true guys dominate the gaming scene, more females are playing and buying their share of games.

Data from our latest Ping survey reveal that there is a large gender difference when it comes to the types of video games males and females prefer to play. When asked “What video game do you currently love to play?” both genders identified the massively popular Grand Theft Auto – a game notorious for its blood, sex and violence. But, not surprisingly, males prefer the popular first-person shooter (FPS) titles much more than women – witness the dominance of Halo 2 for males and the complete absence of it for females.

Also notice that males are way more interested in sport franchise titles like Madden NFL 2005, whereas females like common character franchises like Super Mario. For all gaming geeks, witness the overreaching popularity of World of Warcraft, a MMOG (Massive Multiplayer Online Game) that has both genders buzzing.

Sometimes the violence thing simply doesn’t do it for girls. Girls want to be challenged, but differently. Rather than memorizing maps and guns from Counter-Strike, girls want to complete quests, get high scores or develop characters – which is highly reflected in their game choices. The Sims may not be challenging, but the rush from building a kickass Sim keeps them hooked.

Typically female gamers are considered “casual gamers,” who are characterized by a tendency to play games a few hours per month and gravitate towards games with minimal storylines and require less commitment – genres like racing, puzzle, platforms and simulators.

In the console market, Nintendo is betting on casual gamers. Its next-generation console, Revolution, will be specifically created and marketed to casual and non-gamers who have been passed over by game heavyweights Playstation and Xbox. Through differentiation, not acculturation, Nintendo wants to literally revolutionize the face of gaming with people who have been playing games for years and those who have never picked up a controller in their lives.

Reaching girls in new and resonant ways with mobile and handheld technologies such as those we’re seeing in Asia and Europe could legitimize this form of gaming and expand the female market. Mobile and handheld games are quick and not too challenging which means that they can easily be played on the bus, at school, while waiting for friends, whenever and wherever.

Of course there is change in the air as more and more girls make the transition from fair-weather players to intense gamers. Game developers like Ubisoft and Microsoft are counting on this. They sponsor all-girl teams that play against the boys in battle-of-the-sexes male-dominated games like Halo 2 or Brothers in Arms.

Watch for focus on females in the male-heavy gaming world to grow as the E3ers look for ways to drive growth.