Female gamers play and now design video games

4/25/08Edie Moh would love to be a video game hero in RL (that's real life for you non-gamers), rescuing princesses and going on "crazy missions to save the world."

Moh is just one example of how females are more present than ever in the video game world. You will not only find them as central characters in games but also taking charge of the controllers.

Thirty-eight percent of all video game players are women according to Entertainment Software Association's website. Women over the age of 18 are a significantly greater percentage of gamers at 31 percent of the gaming population where boys 17-years-old or younger are 20 percent.

Sony has taken note of this and wants to bring even more females to the gaming field. They don't just want more players. They want women designing the games.

"It's no secret to female gamers [that] women are out there in significant numbers," said a Sony representative. "What is lacking in the equation are women behind these games."

Sony teamed up with The Art Institute schools and revealed this year their G.I.R.L. (Gamers In Real Life) scholarship program. "This competition is the first of its kind to encourage [female] students toward career paths in the field of video game design and production, ultimately resulting in the development of games that are more interesting for women to play," Sony's website said.

The G.I.R.L. scholarship is offering a $10,000 education award and a 10 week paid internship at one of the Sony Online Entertainment studios located in San Diego, Austin, Seattle and Denver.

Didi Cardoso, the managing editor and public relations coordinator or Grrlgamer.com, started gaming when she was six-years-old. She said bringing more female gamers and game designers to the industry will "serve as an example to other females who are not so comfortable with the female gamer concept. It's ok to play games and follow gaming as a career option if you're a woman."

The Art Institute schools offer a game art and design program for its students and it seems to have become a phenomenon on the west coast.

Carolann Russell, a game design and art major at The Art Institute of California San Diego, "thinks it's actually great" that Sony is offering this scholarship.

"You don't hear so much about women in the industry and it shows women you're a part of the game industry too."

To attract more female gamers Russell said designers need to focus more on the graphics, getting rid of the dark and violent aspects of games. Women need "soft and rounded graphics, something more colorful."

Russell enjoys playing games like Diner Dash and Cooking Mamma where players can "see how well you can do and what you can achieve." These are the sorts of games Russell says will bring in more female gamers.

Tayler Hudson, a game art and design major at The Art Institute of Southern California, is applying for the Sony G.I.R.L. scholarship.

"I've been playing [video games] ever since I could hold a controller," Hudson said. She started playing as a way to spend time with her father and brother.

Hudson said females have a hard time grasping games and are simply "not pulled in."

"Women go to the movies and a lot of games are like movies. It's about how they [game companies] approach marketing," Hudson said. "None of these women are going to pick up gamer magazines and flick on G4."

Hudson wants to design platform games that are story driven. "These sorts of games will bring in female gamers," Hudson said.

Hudson said the gaming industry could bring "a whole new style" of gaming by bringing in more female game designers. "Women see the world differently than men do. It would be a breath of fresh air that the industry needs right now."

Moh, a game art and design student at The Art Institute of Los Angeles, loves video games because you can "do cool things that you couldn't do in real life."

"I would love for someone to come and say 'You're the hero; you're supposed to save the world; get on it' - that would make my day," Moh said.

Moh said that female game designers would add a "unique perspective" and make games that are "more intriguing for girls."

Moh wants to design "adventure games with great story lines." She says these types of role playing games are what attracted her to video games.

Moh would like to see more gaming tournaments that are just for females. "I've won a few and was one of the few girls there."

"A lot of girls are timid and think guys will automatically be better than them," Moh said. The tournaments will "help girls get out there and be proud" that they are just are good at gaming as the guys.

Sony invites other publishers in the gaming industry to follow their lead because "the secret is out - females game."

"We're just trying to encourage more women to make the games they obviously enjoy playing," Sony's website said.