Gamestop Hosts "Girls Night In"

The popular videogame retail outlet's website is helping female gamers get their parties started.

Gamestop's "Girls Night In" program hosts web pages for games targeted at getting girls into gaming through the wild world of Wii parties.

Madden NFL 09: All-Play, a Wii port of the popular football franchise featuring simpler motion controls than the button-heavy 360 and PS3 versions, is the first title to receive its own "Girls Night In" site where it teaches women how to play the game, the basics of football and some "touchdown recipes" to get the party popping.

"Madden is such an incredibly huge game for us, and what happens to females during the winter months is that they become football widows," explained Betty Shock, regional vice president of Gamestop. "So what better opportunity to start the website and really get females to begin interacting with football?"

The hope is that women will visit the site to answer their gaming questions, as opposed to turning towards their gaming companions.

"The website is an area for [women] to go to where it's not intimidating," Shock said. "They can learn information on their own versus asking questions to maybe some of the guys that they hang out with and play with."

Gamestop chose to use Wii Madden because the unique controls were more inviting to newcomers.

"If you look at the Wii 'All-Play' version it is a lot less intimidating for females because of the controller," explained Shock. "If [women] are just starting out playing the game, this will help them because if you're not a huge core gamer, [the Xbox 360 and the PS3] controllers can be pretty intimidating. You have to learn which buttons to push at which times, and for the Wii you don't really have to do that."

Although the idea of attracting girls to host digital football-centric fiestas is a tough sell, female managers and executives within Gamestop are brainstorming future female-friendly games to add to the "Girls Night In" hub.

Shock concluded, "I know that we have a lot of big games coming out in the fall, and we"ll probably start putting some additional games on [a website] in terms of things like tips."

Source: MTV Multiplayer

Permalink

Is it just me (and it likely is), or does this seem slightly sexist? I'm all for girls gaming as much as possible, and most of the site seems innocuous. But things like recipes and a seeming implication that girls don't know as much about football as men, feels a little odd. I'm sure I read too much into it...

donbueck:
Is it just me (and it likely is), or does this seem slightly sexist? I'm all for girls gaming as much as possible, and most of the site seems innocuous. But things like recipes and a seeming implication that girls don't know as much about football as men, feels a little odd. I'm sure I read too much into it...

Can you deny it though? I've known plenty of Female football fans, but it's a fact there are less of them then men, same with girl gamers.

Aries_Split:
I've known plenty of Female football fans, but it's a fact there are less of them then men, same with girl gamers.

I'd say that's a pretty good reason why NOT to start with Madden. Because everything that doesn't attract hordes of women has magically been cured because All-Play has neutered the game? Come on.

Note: you forgot your "[/a]" tag for the Permalink.

Girls playing video games? Unconditional /second. Whatever it takes to get the ladies down that path of loneliness and desperation that ends right here, la casa de regrets.

Edit: That was a joke, I am also a little skeptical at the sexist undertones here. Also, no women regret my casa.

Female-friendly games? What the heck are those? Full of pinkness and ponies?
And how is the X-box controller 'intimidating'? Can't women remember what all the buttons are for unlike men?

I feel kinda insulted now... They're practically implying all women are the same AND inferior to men.

donbueck:
Is it just me (and it likely is), or does this seem slightly sexist? I'm all for girls gaming as much as possible, and most of the site seems innocuous. But things like recipes and a seeming implication that girls don't know as much about football as men, feels a little odd. I'm sure I read too much into it...

You're correct.

HobbesMkii:

Aries_Split:
I've known plenty of Female football fans, but it's a fact there are less of them then men, same with girl gamers.

I'd say that's a pretty good reason why NOT to start with Madden. Because everything that doesn't attract hordes of women has magically been cured because All-Play has neutered the game? Come on.

Note: you forgot your "[/a]" tag for the Permalink.

You are also correct.

This will not attract gamer women (gamers who happen to be female).

This will not attract women gamers (women who play games that appeal to only their feminine side).

This will fuck up real bad, unless they have free stuff given away.

Also, this is just a ploy to get mainstream (read, complete tools) women to come play games. They can get bent, because I would much rather play games with only men than have to go and play against tools. Regardless of gender. I do not want to see "BridgetJ0nes442130930912" in any game area. I don't care about gamer women, in fact, I encourage there to be more of them. But this is not how you even out statistics. If you want to do that, give civ revolution to a girl. Get girls to play games, not full grown toolbox women.

The girls that I've introduced to games have been surprisingly open to good game play over flashy graphics or being catered to directly. My girlfriend is hogging my 360 as I type this, playing through Braid, and we'll probably play some Zack and Wiki later.

Like a few others have stated, these type of ploys don't work. Does no one remember the mess Ubisoft got into by making 'girl' games, which were pretty much sexist things?

The best way is to get girls to play games that are, well, good. Perhaps some Half Life or Sims or something will get them into gaming.

Awwww wikkle girlies want to play man games?

What patronising rubbish. They'd sell a lot more games just by treating girl gamers with respect.

I'll rule the day when they connect two TVs and play Halo 3 with 7 of their mutual friends from across the house.

EDIT: 1k post. In The News Room. I wouldn't have it any other way.

In my opinion, the whole idea is a bit stupid. If girl gamers wanted to play a game, they wouldn't need to go to a specialised night for it. They could just arrange something by themselves - like most of the girl gamers I know do.

Geesh, the least they could do is use Cooking Mama and maybe some pink Wiimote skins. We all know that the way to get more girls to play games is to use pink peripherals.

Virgil:
Geesh, the least they could do is use Cooking Mama and maybe some pink Wiimote skins. We all know that the way to get more girls to play games is to use pink peripherals.

ZOMG! Teh staff necromancy!