I think the most important thing here is the main topic that you covered with Jessica - the topic of Girls and Gaming. I know that there was an earlier thread that focused on female gamers and violence. It turned into a rather long thread that was written mostly by guys.
When Matt brought this topic up a few weeks ago, I started thinking about the games that the girls I know tend to play. I will list some of them here -
1: Puzzle games - Bejeweled, Tetris, Snood
2: Sim games - FarmVille (facebook)
3: RPGs - Final Fantasy, Persona (Shin Megami Tensei)
4: Adventure/Puzzle - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series
One honorable mention - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. My sister used to play this game with me back in the day, and she still likes it.
I have also seen various girls enjoy the Grand Theft Auto series of all things.
So let me say that I think females tend to like things that are constructive in nature. I think there is no denying this. Just as I was typing this post, my fiancee walked in and said that she used to play this game called Afterlife (Lucasarts) that was a simulation "god game" where you construct heaven and hell. This further backs up my working theory.
I also think that games that allow a lot of freedom can be appealing. Open world games. I would venture a guess that it is this sandbox aspect of Grand Theft Auto that the girls I know like. This as opposed to the violence. Then again, all people can get some guilty pleasure from running people off the road, running red lights, and running over pedestrians. They are all frustrations of everyday life, and they are presented as randomly generated people without personality. I won't dive into when death is okay or not okay for guys vs. girls in videogames, but I wanted to make a point that there are girls that like this game that is known for its violence.
I wouldn't mind seeing more commentary on this one. Commentary on this episode of Matt Chat is almost completely gone. Ironically, the next episode was Leisure Suit Larry of all things. I wonder how many girls play that one...
I think the most important thing here is the main topic that you covered with Jessica - the topic of Girls and Gaming. I know that there was an earlier thread that focused on female gamers and violence. It turned into a rather long thread that was written mostly by guys.
When Matt brought this topic up a few weeks ago, I started thinking about the games that the girls I know tend to play. I will list some of them here -
1: Puzzle games - Bejeweled, Tetris, Snood
2: Sim games - FarmVille (facebook)
3: RPGs - Final Fantasy, Persona (Shin Megami Tensei)
4: Adventure/Puzzle - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series
One honorable mention - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. My sister used to play this game with me back in the day, and she still likes it.
I have also seen various girls enjoy the Grand Theft Auto series of all things.
So let me say that I think females tend to like things that are constructive in nature. I think there is no denying this. Just as I was typing this post, my fiancee walked in and said that she used to play this game called Afterlife (Lucasarts) that was a simulation "god game" where you construct heaven and hell. This further backs up my working theory.
I also think that games that allow a lot of freedom can be appealing. Open world games. I would venture a guess that it is this sandbox aspect of Grand Theft Auto that the girls I know like. This as opposed to the violence. Then again, all people can get some guilty pleasure from running people off the road, running red lights, and running over pedestrians. They are all frustrations of everyday life, and they are presented as randomly generated people without personality. I won't dive into when death is okay or not okay for guys vs. girls in videogames, but I wanted to make a point that there are girls that like this game that is known for its violence.
I wouldn't mind seeing more commentary on this one. Commentary on this episode of Matt Chat is almost completely gone. Ironically, the next episode was Leisure Suit Larry of all things. I wonder how many girls play that one...
Someone follow up on this one. Let's discuss.
Chris Kennedy, Editor
Location: Houston, Texas, USA
Email: chris@armchairarcade.com