Men have always been puzzled with the question of how to please a
woman. But the founder of Transform Entertainment, Brandii Grace, may
have beaten them to the answer. Brandii stated in a recent interview
"[Games today] are like a man's best, custom-tailored suit… a perfect
fit for the intended audience and a poor fit for most women."
Brandii makes a valid point: many games are created by core gamers for
core gamers, with difficult challenges, intricate game play and time
consuming story lines. Aside from a few atypical female gamers, women
tend to be deterred by complex mechanics and a lack of emotional
attachment.
The Entertainment Software Association states that 47% of all gamers
are female, but Brandii claims "only about 10 percent of women play
games for the challenge." These numbers lead to the question: why are
these women playing if not for the challenge? Challenges engage
players and add re-playability, and everyone feels a sense of
accomplishment upon completion, regardless of gender. It’s not the
idea of challenge that deters women from games but the rewards offered
by these challenges.
Brandii points out males enjoy the "action of a gun-toting,
catsuit-wearing hottie kicking ass" in Underworld, while women prefer
the conflict “between desire and the emotional bonds of love, family,
and friendship" in Twilight. Both movies contain the classic "vampire
vs. werewolf" theme, but approach it very differently for each target
audience. Brandii sees no reason why games can’t do the same thing and
she wants to do more than just tailor game themes to a female
audience. She intends to combine "deep, content-rich worlds of fun,
[with] casual-style mechanics [to] create a new kind of experience to
serve a new kind of gamer."
The future of games for women awaits: Brandii Grace's innovative ideas
will help fit an old industry to a new audience. The puzzle hasn’t
changed – it’s just that women have started to play too.
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