Girl’s Got Game

We don’t log onto the Internet for five-hour “World of Warcraft” marathons or scour the Internet for cheats to get past the thirteenth level of “Tomb Raider.” More often than not, I play over sushi and a glass of wine. The concept of “serious” gaming is a little suspect to me. Games are, well, games. They’re supposed to be fun. They are a release, a form of relaxation.

When game companies do gear games toward girls and women, the results can be laughable. So-called “pink” games like “Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses” or “Desperate Housewives, The Game” are so stereotypical, even a seven-year-old girl would roll her eyes. Is anyone using their brains over at those game-design companies? Plenty of women and girls play board games. Do we only play ones that have to do with shopping for purses, whispering about hot guys, and being BFFs?

My desire for better games for women is really a desire for better video games for everyone. We ladies are not wowed simply by T & A and awesome explosions. Game designers have to work a little harder to make challenging and engaging games that have some kind of plot. Games like this—that are just plain good—attract men and women alike. Once game companies start recognizing this, and promoting play for girls and women because they’ll actually enjoy it—not just to prove a point in a man’s world—gaming might become more appealing to female newcomers.

I look forward to better games for all and a better gaming environment for women. It will happen—we’re a huge untapped market. But for now I’m content with being a casual player. Who needs to be serious when I just destroyed my twelve-year-old cousin at “DOA”? (And I did it playing like a girl.)