[MinMin]

More women game for cyber action

Industry woos female players with games that appeal to their psyche

GAMING companies are now courting female gamers, a previously ignored segment.

Industry watchers say female gamers are emerging because games now come with the right mix of casual appeal or provide avenues for them to make friends or modify activities and avatars in virtual worlds.

Thus far, games with violent content or which require strategising have appealed more to men.

PC and console games publisher EA Games has seen its casual games, such as the puzzle game Boom Blox and dance game Boogie, pull in 'non-core gamers' because of their innovative game-play features and their lifestyle entertainment elements.

Mr Christopher Ng, the general manager of EA Singapore, said: 'These are reasons women are playing more video games - particularly casual games that are easy to pick up and play.'

The numbers say as much about women entering the fray.

Organisers of the World Cyber Games say this year's tournament attracted about 20 female Singaporeans. Back in 2005, there were only five.

Local retailers The Straits Times spoke to have been serving more female customers - about one-third more than a year or two ago.

Mr Koh Kew Siong of The Software Boutique in Funan DigitaLife Mall noted, however, that women play different types of games from men.

'The girls usually like the role-playing games, less so the shooter or strategy sorts,' he said.

Mr Jason Soh of The Gaming World said his female customers enjoy Nintendo puzzle games; a third retailer said the women are going for music-related games like Guitar Hero III.

Online, it is the same trend.

AsiaSoft, a publisher of online multi-player games such as MapleStory and Audition, said its pool of registered female gamers jumped by 50,000 between 2006 and last year, from a base of 550,000 female gamers. It expects an increase of more than 50,000 this year.

IAH Games, which publishes Granado Espada, said 1,000 new female gamers signed up in the first half of this year. At Viwawa.com, another local site, women comprise half the core base.

These Singapore figures mirror a trend in the United States, where the Entertainment Software Association recently reported that four in 10 gamers were women.

Product marketing specialist Jem Loh, 22, who started gaming four years ago, enjoys gaming in virtual worlds because she can 'explore character development and mythical creatures'.

Project coordinator Eva Yuan, 27, set up a guild of 40 other regional gamers within action game Granado Espada. They play regularly online.

'It helps when games have interactive chat functions, beautiful graphics and are playable even for people who are not dexterous. I don't just want to chop monsters,' she said.

Gaming companies have responded to this by organising activities solely for female gamers. IAH Games, for example, is lining up 'gamer girl gatherings' for December.

Its community manager Danielle Hrin Kuek said these are the ''new Tupperware parties'.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapor...ry_267069.html

[Gollum]

during my time...the women does it for real.

Cyber just lacks that warm wet feeling.

[|hp78|]

Originally Posted by Gollum

during my time...the women does it for real.

Cyber just lacks that warm wet feeling.

that's not what they're saying... but

[kuroALIEN]

Originally Posted by Gollum

during my time...the women does it for real.

Cyber just lacks that warm wet feeling.

That made me read the whole post ._.

[kyouta]

Originally Posted by Gollum

during my time...the women does it for real.

Cyber just lacks that warm wet feeling.

[ayu1978]

Originally Posted by Gollum

during my time...the women does it for real.

Cyber just lacks that warm wet feeling.

grate minds think arike.