Game design is a market driven process and the majority of game designers are males. Male designers design games for male players, focusing on sex, violence, speed, and on the edge behaviors. The idea behind most games is competition and the concept of winning. The Stereotypical gamer is a teenage male and often considered a “nerd” and games are usually targeted towards this market, even though the average age of a game player is now early to mid-thirties and over 40% of gamers are now female.

Some games do attract females. Women get more enthusiastic playing multiplayer games where social interaction, emotions or challenge are in foreground. Numbers of women are playing social games such as SIMS and puzzle games. This correlates with game design elements relevant for this gender.

Having seen a gap in the market, the game industry is now consciously targeting the females by introducing games designed primarily for girls. Therefore the presence and variety of girl-games on the shelves is increasing. The games are often based on girl toys like My Little Pony, Barbi or similar, and the game play is based upon concepts like “taking care” and imitates interaction with these toys in the real world. However, this would suggest that the target market for girl games is 7-10 years, yet the average age of the male game player is reported as 30 plus.

Our research highlights differences between each gender when asked why they play computer games. Our guidelines detail areas of design that will appeal to either or both genders. However, as the focus of interests changes throughout one’s lifetime, and increasing in age brings new social context, responsibilities and higher workload into the foreground, many childhood gamers state that they no longer play computer games due to a lack of time. Many females perceive playing computer games as a waste of time and often only play to kill time. The older generation also play when they have nothing else to do, but need the immersion factor to motivate them to continue to play a specific game.

At Pivec Labs, we can analyse an idea, a storyboard, or prototype game, and suggest what market it will appeal to. We can also verify if the game elements included match the developers specified target market. Contact us for further information.