EA: “Games industry is failing women”

David Gardner, chief operating officer of games publishing giant Electronic Arts, has lashed out at the games industry for “failing women” at a conference in Edinburgh. Gardner said “We have all been talking about this for a long, long time.” EA’s own research has found that 40% of teenage girls played video games versus 90% of teenage boys and most girls lost interest in games within a year.

He also said that women are somewhat an undiscovered market and that if EA cracked the problem they “could add a billion dollars to its sales.” Mr Gardner said one of the biggest problems was that the content aimed at women gamers was not appealing. “They don’t want ‘pink games. Thy are not trying to play girly games where Paris Hilton and Britney Spears go shopping and put make-up on. Those kind of things have not been that successful.“

As you may know, Sony have just announced the Pink PSP and PS2 for European gamers. If EA’s David Gardner is correct, their new move into the female gaming market will fail. If EA’s figures are correct, this undiscovered market could double the gaming economy, boosting sales for all. Let’s see how Sony’s pink additions to their console line-up go when they are released; the PSP in October and PS2 in November.

Via BBC News

David Gardner, chief operating officer of games publishing giant Electronic Arts, has lashed out at the games industry for “failing women” at a conference in Edinburgh. Gardner said “We have all been talking about this for a long, long time.” EA’s own research has found that 40% of teenage girls played video games versus 90% of teenage boys and most girls lost interest in games within a year.

He also said that women are somewhat an undiscovered market and that if EA cracked the problem they “could add a billion dollars to its sales.” Mr Gardner said one of the biggest problems was that the content aimed at women gamers was not appealing. “They don’t want ‘pink games. Thy are not trying to play girly games where Paris Hilton and Britney Spears go shopping and put make-up on. Those kind of things have not been that successful.“

As you may know, Sony have just announced the Pink PSP and PS2 for European gamers. If EA’s David Gardner is correct, their new move into the female gaming market will fail. If EA’s figures are correct, this undiscovered market could double the gaming economy, boosting sales for all. Let’s see how Sony’s pink additions to their console line-up go when they are released; the PSP in October and PS2 in November.

Via BBC News