Recently I seem to be reading lots about an increase in girl gamers. At SXSW, I went to an interactive panel that discussed getting girls into gaming as a gateway to getting them interested in technology. I also saw that there were lots of activites at SXSW centered around girl gamers.
Today I received information about a NPD study press release that discusses girl gaming is on the rise:
Activision's Guitar Hero and Electronic Arts' Rock Band appeal to young girls who enjoy the interactive nature of the games. Nintendogs, a puppy simulator and Animal Crossing: City Folk, which allows players to interact with hundreds of animals, are also big with women. Nintendo will continue to capitalize on this trend with the upcoming launch of Style Savvy this holiday season. Players become the owner of a clothing boutique, and the game combines creativity and fashion with a collection of trendy clothes, chic accessories and stylish shoes. In addition, the company regularly hosts Girlfriends’ Guide to Gaming nights, male-free events in cities throughout the country in which young, professional women have the opportunity to experience video games in a social atmosphere.
"I have seen an increase in my mom friends gaming habits as well in the following areas:
- FITNESS: Moms that are too busy to go to the club are taking advantage of the family Wii and exercising with the Wii Fit or EA Sports Active.
- INTERACTIVE FAMILY TIME: When it is "screen time" moms are finding that using interactive gaming makes it a family affair. Guitar Hero, Rock Band and Wii Music are popular for the musical family. Multiplayer sports games like Wii Sports are also popular with families, but I even heard of moms that challenge their husband to Wii Tennis after the kids go to sleep. Other multiplayer Wii games that my mom friends use with their families are Mario Kart, Mario Galaxy, Big Brain Academy, Animal Crossing: City Folk and Carnival Games.
I few weeks ago I went to a press briefing with Nintendo on the new Wii Sports Resort (that has dozen resort-themed activities) and imagine that that game will be used by families for interactive screen time as well. Wii Sports Resort comes bundled with a Wii MotionPlus – that captures additional movements for more activities (i.e. throwing a frisbee to a dog). Which is really good for me because I told my boys we can't have a pet. So having a frisbee throw with a virtual pet may keep them satisfied for now.
This is not a surprise for me since my cousins, aunts and my parents are so into video games. The number of female online gamers are increasing as well specially for Warcraft and other famous online games.
I think this is really good news that more and more girls and women are playing and enjoying online games now days. If nothing else it shows that the women are fast becoming techies.