Computer games are attracting ever more female players – with women placing more emphasis on heart and mind than their male fellow players.

Heusenstamm 24th October 2006 – The computer games industry has discovered the female player target group. More and more women are spending more and more time on electronic entertainment. According to a study carried out on behalf of the German computer game producer SUNFLOWERS, the female sex prefer to busy themselves with peaceful action and adventure games, with sports simulations and first person shooters lagging far behind.

A few years ago women played a rather minor role in the world of computer games, being barely regarded as a target group at all. However, this situation has changed somewhat in recent years. Titles with a peaceful setting such as the ‘Sims’ series and ‘ANNO’, already have a fan base, a third of which is female.

Women have different tastes from men – and games are no exception. Women like games which are complex, but not complicated, which are amusing and rich in ideas and with high aesthetic values. This is proven in the study ‘PC and Video Players – men and women compared’ carried out on behalf of SUNFLOWERS. The most important findings being that women are more socially competent in their dealings with games, they reject excessive and meaningless violence and value games which offer demanding and logical exercises for the mind. ‘She’ prefers games which are intellectually demanding and meaningful, while ‘he’ is rather more inclined toward action, freedom of movement and a more complex game constitution.

When women can’t make further progress within a game, they consult the game manual. As opposed to men, they actually do use the game’s help function and get annoyed if the help isn‘t up to scratch.

There are also differences when it comes to game genre preference. Women have peaceful action games and adventures at the top of their list. In contrast men prefer business simulations and first person shooters. In women’s lists these games languish in tenth position. Just 14% of women have only ever played a first-person shooter, while among men, the figure is 45%. Women over 30 in particular reject games containing violence. For all their differences, there are a few commonalities which do exist. Men and women enjoy games of skill, adventures and construction simulations to the same extent. An example of this is the ANNO construction strategy game series from SUNFLOWERS.

In the latest third part ANNO 1701, the player is concerned with the foundation, expansion and maintenance of a blossoming metropolis, while at the same time communicating with other players and interacting with them through trade and diplomacy. This places strategic ability, business talent and diplomatic skill at the forefront of the player’s skill-set. These are attributes which are associated particularly with the female sex. Furthermore approximately 35% of ANNO players are women – the trend is upward.

SUNFLOWERS already discovered the female target group some years ago and has orientated itself accordingly. Together with surveys which specifically address desires and needs, there are also special female trial groups within which new games can be tested while still in the development process. Findings which are made through these all-women trial groups can then flow back into a game’s development. Out of this comes a product with a so-called ‘Gender Inclusive Design’ which then addresses both male and female groups to an equal extent. For example: so that men as well as women can enjoy playing ANNO 1701, there are different routes available to achieve success: Those who wish to do so, can engage their fellow players with violence, on the other hand, the game can also be played without any violence at all. Both strategies can lead to success.
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Source of press release:

Agency:

Max Bimboese
markenzeichen GmbH
Hanauer Landstrasse 184
D-60314 Frankfurt am Main
Tel.: +49-(0)69-71 04 880-20
max.bimboese@markenzeichen-agentur.de

Company:

SUNFLOWERS GmbH
Seligenstädter Grund 1
D-63150 Heusenstamm

Today Sunflowers is part of the Ubisoft / Blue Byte group.