2007年VOA标准英语-Game Developers Targeting Women

The traditional face of video gaming is changing.  In a bid to attract more players, some of the major game developers are adding new content, new colors and a new attitude in a bid to attract a new generation of female gamers.  VOA's Mil Arcega reports.

The appetite for high-octane action and eye-popping moves will always be there, but game developers say the testosterone crowd is not the only game in town. Driven by the success of new game platforms, the 30 billion dollar a year industry is turning its attention to the fairer sex.

Nintendo's latest advertising¹ campaign features Hollywood star Nicole Kidman playing the company's new "Brain Training Game".  Experts say such games appeal to women who prefer more socially engaging themes. 

Electronic Arts' online business manager Sharon Knight² says, "I think that women are potentially more interested in community, and chat, and relationship-based games a bit more than first person shooters for example."

The nature of the games, and even the colors of them, are designed for a female audience

With women already making the majority of retail³ purchases for the home, "Game" retail spokesman Simon Sofe says it was only a matter of time before marketers caught up. "In the last couple of years, far more games have come out that have appealed more to women.  And that has moved on because they've focused more on music, focused more on dance.  Whereas, traditionally, they would have focused more on sport, action, driving, or shooting, or more adventure type games."

There's also been a strong emphasis on the color pink.

For software developers -- the gaming world keeps getting bigger. "I think it's a fantastic time in the industry right now, the next generation consoles, and particularly the Nintendo Wii are very much helping⁴ to widen the demographic for gaming,” says Knight. “I think it's attracting more women, more families.  Encouraging more people to engage in more social play.  I think it's an excellent time to foster new content."

Women are the largest buyers of the new content, which experts says is now the fastest growing segment in the video gaming industry.