Session Information
| Title | The Rapid Rise (and Fall?) of Games for Girls: A Handheld Case Study |
| Presenter(s) | Tobi Saulnier, CEO of 1st Playable Productions, leads a development studio that has created such hit games such as Club Penguin for the Nintendo DS, Ben 10 DS, Disney Princess DS, and a number of other DS games designed for very specific demographics. The studio also creates educational titles, and specializes in audience centric design. |
| Time | Saturday, October 23, 11:30a-12:30p |
| Location | Ballroom |
| Format | Speaker |
| Description | The past two years saw a transformation on the shelves as games for girls became the hot new growth market. From the surprise hit Imagine Fashion Designer DS in late 2007, to the many copycat lines that had flooded the market just two years later, the tween girl audience for handhelds went from unexpected to oversaturated just two years later. Along with the games came a number of design myths and truisms about this market. This talk is from the perspective of the developer of several of these games, with "aspirational" topics ranging from EnerG Gym Rockets (and Imagine Gymnastics), to Imagine Cheerleader, to most recently, Style Lab Jewelry Design.
What are the key design distinctions when designing handheld games for girls? What game mechanics and aesthetics are sought by this audience? How does the philosophy of success versus failure need to be adjusted when designing progression? What is the role of story? And most importantly what drives these girls to buy the games they do? We highlight games that succeed and others that failed, and identify the core elements that resonate with the specifically meaningful play sought by girls, versus those elements that are classic elements of game design that actually decrease engagement in girls. Of course any retail game is a product of both its design and the market reception. The introduction and subsequent saturation of girl-targeted games in the market had some predictable results, and some very unique to the audience. Detailed examples are provided, using case studies of games that entered that market and evaluating the impact of these games on the audience. The talk will conclude with an assessment of the current state of the market for this audience and what market and design challenges we could expect next, on this and the next generation of handheld platforms. |