We’ve all heard the saying “It’s a man’s world” and nowhere does that ring truer than in the video game industry. But the female touch is slowly making its way into this boy’s club. The addition of women to the gaming industry brings with it a dynamic that will help everyone reap the benefits.
But what do women really want when it comes to video games?
To answer this and other questions, we’ll turn to a panel of women gamers and see what they have to say. Taking part in this roundtable discussion were managing editor of G4techTV’s website, Jenni Villareal. Also from G4techTV’s website, staff writer, Whitney Nakayama, associate producer from G4techTV, Cathie Horlick, and the woman behind joychix.com, Heather Gallay. And, finally, we had our own EIC, Rachel E. Peterson, and Jessica Babyok, full-time high school student and mygamer.com staff writer.
Talking with fellow women gamers was a huge treat; it was nice to see how the conversation flowed from our favorite video games, to hair bleaching tips, to the best lip-gloss. Admittedly, at times the conversation may have been a little girly but, as the following excerpts show, these women know their video games.
Let’s start with a simple question:
What do women want from their video games?
Jenni: Well, it depends. Sometimes I like the way it looks and sounds – say, PaRappa the Rapper.
Whitney: Hell yeah!
Rache: I am sucker for plot, hence Soul Reaver.
Heather: I go for story first, that attracts me.
Jenni: Story pretty much never gets me. But if something seems unique, I’m all over it.
Heather: Really? See, I don’t bond with a game unless there’s story.
Whitney: I have to admit I’m pretty picky about genre, then appearance and overall appeal.
Cathie: Story is nice, but that’s not always what hooks me, either.
Jenni: Yeah, I just…I dunno, if I wanted a deep story, I’d read a book.
Rache: If I’m going to spend money, I want a game that will last too.
Heather: 😛
Jessica: What attracts me to a game really depends