SacTicket // Gamers // Saying no to games


		Published 2:15 AM PST Monday, Dec. 08, 2003
			Saying no to games While males spend millions on action-packed video fun, females don't, and the industry is looking for keys to this lucrative kingdom. By Clint Swett -- Bee Staff Writer
			Sacramento Bee/Val B. Mina

Thirteen-year-old Elissa Borrero is a rarity among her friends, a girl who loves bashing demons and skewering monsters on her PlayStation 2.

Currently entrancing the Elk Grove seventh-grader is "Beyond Good & Evil," a game in which a young woman named Jade battles heroically to uncover an evil government conspiracy. "I really like the fighting and the dueling and all the action," Borrero said.

Asked if other girls she knows share her passion, she answers in the negative. "They think it's a waste of time," Borrero said.

That's an attitude the $7 billion video gaming industry would like to change. With initiatives ranging from new marketing campaigns to more story-driven software, game developers are increasingly homing in on what many say is a potentially lucrative market.

"It's definitely an untapped market," said Susan Kittleson, product manager for Microsoft's Windows Gaming division. "But more and more women are looking at games as a way to relax and use their brain."

Titles out this holiday season include one based on Disney's Lizzie McGuire character and another on the TV show "American Idol," in which virtual contestants strut their stuff for the tart-tongued Simon Cowell and other judges.

And Microsoft recently featured young women as the main gamers in a TV campaign for its Xbox game console.

Women don't totally shun electronic gaming. Women 18 and older now make up 26 percent of the entire gaming population, according to the Entertainment Software Association.

But rather than settling in front of the TV gripping a Nintendo controller, women seem to prefer online sites with less competitive games, such as feature puzzles, and card and board games.

For instance, more than 70 percent of the registered players of the Lycos Gamesville Web site are female, said Chris Cummings, content manager for the online service.

"Women like games where they can participate with others in a cooperative format," he said. "They like the social inclusion and forming relationships. Even in single-player games such as solitaire, we offer a component like chat."

Seattle-based Real Networks sees a similar pattern. The company said that more than 70 percent of its customers are women who pay $6.95 a month to play games online. Company spokesman Duncan Magee declined to say how many subscribers the gaming site has, but said that women download more than 3 million games a month from the Real Networks site.

Women seem to appreciate the fact that Real Networks' games don't require complicated manuals or demand the ability to splatter attacking aliens, Magee said.

"Our games make people feel good from the beginning," he said. "If the game is quick and easy, it makes you feel confident; it lets you celebrate success."

Game developers haven't always grasped that most girls and women want a different experience from boys and men.

"It's not that girls don't like games. They just don't necessarily like to play games where they are blowing things up," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with Jupiter Communications. "I think that game makers are starting to get that message, but at the moment, they are missing opportunities."

Game-making has long been dominated by male programmers whose tastes don't necessarily appeal across genders.

"Boys enjoy a quick and stimulating experience that satisfies them rapidly, and traditional gaming is perfect for that," said Barbara McMullen, a professor and director of e-commerce initiatives at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. "They'll go off in a corner by themselves and play for hours. ... Girls tend to be more collaborative. They'll stay up all night and chat online."

But male ascendancy in gaming development is slowly changing.

About 25 of the 150 students in the three-year game arts and design program at the Art Institute of California-Orange County are female, said program director Tom Jung.

One of the students, 21-year-old Amy Ruhland, said that while she enjoys all kinds of games, many women do not.

"Men just like the competition, but women want more of a story aspect, something they can really get into. It's a chance for them to escape reality where you get to be the hero."

She also said many current games lack good female role models. "The women in the games are usually weak or clinging to guys for support," she said.

Even the formidable Lara Croft of the "Tomb Raider" series is such a cartoon that she turns off many female players.

"She's just a Barbie doll," Ruhland said of the unnaturally curvaceous character. "If she was really in a fight, she'd break in half."

Game designers have struggled for years -- with limited success -- to find a female-friendly formula. One high-profile effort was Purple Moon, a company backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Unable to build a devoted audience for its products, Purple Moon closed its doors in 1999 after just three years.

One hardy survivor is Her Interactive, a Seattle-area company that has sold more than 1.4 million games based on the Nancy Drew mysteries.

"There are books, music and films aimed at girls," said Megan Gaiser, the company's founder and chief executive officer. "We knew girls would love the right computer game."

Gaiser said she draws on her background as a filmmaker to pull players into the games. "You need a great story, interesting character development and a good plot," she said.

But gender-neutral games can score well with the female audience, too.

Titles from Electronic Arts' Sims series, in which players build and manage entire simulated communities, are always among the best-selling titles every year, and women often cite them as among their favorites.

Beth Featherstone, director of marketing for Microsoft Game Studios, said her company isn't trying to develop games solely for a female audience but does extensive interviews with girls and women and is marketing more heavily to them.

In addition to its Xbox ads that featured female players, Microsoft has changed some of its packaging design to appeal more to girls.

The company also has released an Xbox title designed for performing karaoke with the television.

Many experts think that one day a game developer will hit upon a concept that is as appealing to girls and women as shooter and sports games are to boys and men.

When that happens, Borrero, the Elk Grove seventh-grader, will have plenty of female company vying for a turn on her PlayStation 2.