The Incomplete Gamer

A few days ago the LA Times ran an article titled ‘Video Games for Chicks’ which examined the efforts of a number of companies to reach the still largely untapped female gaming market; reaching the conclusion that it was puzzle games that most appealed.

Over in the great Hoosier state of Indiana, The University of Evansville, posted a story about the impact women are having on the video gaming landscape, both as consumers and in the industry itself. The article is clear about what women don’t want when it comes to gaming. Not surprisingly, and rightly so, women are not keen on games depicting violence against women. Nor, if the article is to be believed, do they want so called ‘pink’ games marketed exclusively for girls.

Now all this has got The Incomplete Gamer thinking about what women really want from video games.

Truth is, women don’t really want to play games at all. It’s a ‘Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus’ kind of thing. You see, men are interested in the doing, the action, the getting in and solving the puzzle, killing the enemy and getting on with the job. Not women. Women would rather play the game for five minutes and talk about it for fifty, and not even necessarily in that order. For women, it’s all about expressing how they feel. They want reflection and discussion, Women don’t want to spend hours exploring the dark lonely tombs with Lara, when they could instead spend time analysing her motivations for being in the tomb, empathise with how she must feel, alone in the dark, share their own most private fears and talk and talk and talk. Clearly, what we need is a video game club for women. A club where talking about the experience is even more important than playing it.

“I draw strength from the courage and raw honesty shown every day in the Incomplete Gamer.” Ooopla, July 2008.

I’m not entirely sure what percentage of The Incomplete Gamer’s audience is female. Regardless, we will brace for an avalanche of angry feedback from female gamers who would love to analyse, reflect, discuss and dissect today’s post. While I’m waiting, I’ll just duck out and trademark the name Ooopla’s Video Game Club.