Gender Inclusive Game Design

What it is and why we need it

Sheri Graner RayScreenBurn

SxSW Interactive FestivalMarch 10, 2006

Sheri Graner Ray Game designer since 1990 Author of Gender Inclusive Game Design:

Expanding the Market Worked with Origin Systems/Electronic Arts, Her

Interactive, Sony Online Entertainment, Cartoon Network and more

Chair and Co-founder of Women in Games International

Recipient 2005 IGDA's Game Developers' Choice Award for work in gender and games

Hard Core Gamer (20+ hours/week)

Pink Poison

a brief history of the girls’ game

movement in the U.S.

1995

“Why should we make games for girls?”

1996

“How do we make games for girls?”

1997

1997-1999

March 1999

Big Pink Buys Purple Moon 

Oct 2001

Mattel Sells Interactive Division

“See? We told you girls don’t play computer games!”

Why did this happen?

The industry took an entire market of women and defined it as a genre of “fashion, shopping, and makeup games for girls ages 6-10.”

Computer game revenues have topped 9.4 billion dollars, outranking Hollywood box office receipts.

Salon magazine.

So what’s the problem?

The traditional target market of males ages 15-25 is not growing as fast as the games industry.

Salon Magazine

Today, females between the ages of 15 and 25 control over 14 billion dollars a year in disposable income.

-Newsweek Magazine

“Houston, we have a problem”

Girls don’t play games

Gir

ls d

on’t

mak

e ga

mes

Girls don’t like gam

es

Girls don’t play games

We can identify and remove the barriers that prevent women from accessing the titles we are making today.

What does work?

An example of areas where barriers exist in our games

Learning stylesAvatar representation

WarningThe following information is based on

broad population generalities. It is highly likely you will know of someone that does not fit exactly into these profiles.

(If you are female and you are in the audience today…then that person will most likely be you!!)

Gender Differences in Learning StylesMales Females

•Risk-takers•Explorative

•Want to know how it works first •Modeling/Imitative

Most of the tutorials in today’s games are designed to appeal to an explorative learning style.

Avatar \Av`a*tar"\, n.1. An image representing a user in a virtual reality space.

Because they represent “heroes”, male and female avatars will often exhibit exaggerated physical signals of youth strength, and fertility/virility

Youth, Strength and Fertility/Virility

Males Large Shoulders Slim waists Slim hips Large thighs and

calves Long, thick hair

Females Large breasts,

placed high on the chest

Slim waists Round derrières Long, thick hair

Very often female avatars display exaggerated physical signals of sexual receptivity.

Male avatars rarely display these signals.

Sexual receptivity Red, full lips Heavy lidded eyes Heavy breathing (usually indicated by a

slightly open mouth) Erect nipples

Design tutorials that use imitative models as well as evaporative models

Use educational software as modelsMake your female characters heroic, but

do not hypersexualize themUse female athletes as body models

Solutions

Gir

ls d

on’t

mak

e ga

mes

Sometimes the best man for the job is a womanThe game industry isn’t on women’s

career radarMust recruit in non-traditional areasBuild today for employees tomorrow

Production Environment

Quality of life issuesWomen have less leisure timeBenefits are very important

Physical spaceKeep it cleanAppropriate facilities

SolutionsUnderstand you will have to recruit

women – and get creative in your recruiting

Address quality of life issues in your office including - but not limited to – over time, benefits, and actual physical space

G

irls don’t like games

Traditional channels do not reach female consumers

Traditional box and ad images can actively stop female consumers

Ad messaging can adversely affect not only product but corporate image

“The Second Best Thing To Do In The Dark”Ad for GBA

Where to start: Adjust tutorials to allow for modeling learning

styles Consider forgiveness for error rather than

punishment Make female avatars attractive, but not hyper-

sexual Clearly state you intend your audience to

contain females Seek out qualified female candidates

Girls don’t play games

Gender Inclusive Design breaks the

cycle

Act

ivel

y re

cru

it w

om

en

“But what if the player is female?”

Sheri Graner RayScreenBurn

South by SouthwestMarch 10, 2006