I love video games.  I earned my first Super Nintendo in the fourth grade for getting straight E’s (apparently the A-F scale wasn’t appropriate for elementary school, so we got E’s for “excellent” instead of A’s and NI’s for “needs improvement” instead of F’s), and immediately traded in the Mortal Combat cartridge it came with for Donkey Kong and Zombies Ate My Neighbors.  Family holidays consisted of my cousin and I in his basement playing the newest hot game, which he always had.  Sleepovers consisted of DK and Crash Bandicoot all-nighters.  My Gameboy and I were inseparable for awhile there, and when I was older I asked for a PS2 instead of a DVD player for double the fun.  And a couple of years ago, when I rocked the GRE’s, I treated myself to Guitar Hero and wailed away all night.

But the video game world is changing.  Now we have sparkly pink bejeweld consoles and soft “lilac” handhelds for “girlz,” along with a vast array of girl-targeted games.  The tv-console systems are still primarily boy-oriented (Xbox, PlayStation), although the Wii may be changing things ever so slightly.  However, if Nintendo’s DS gaming options are any indication, their Wii selection is probably not breaking the molds too quickly.  What is changing more rapidly is the handheld market: the Nintendo DS (at least it’s not called GameBoy anymore) and PSP, and the marketers for these products have no shame in targeting girls using all the stereotypes they can come up with.

Exhibit A: Consoles

The Nintendo DS, as displayed here in “Metallic Rose,” was marketed not long ago in the “I Play For Me” campaign, which featured female celebrities such as America Ferrara, Liv Tyler, Carrie Underwood, and Nicole Kidman playing Nintendo DS games.  They often had pimped out their consoles with rhinestones and other sparkly accessories, and played peaceful puzzle games (none of that action-y stuff boys like).

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In competition with the Nintendo DS is Sony’s PSP.  The PSP and its affilated “Girlz Play Too” campaign (becauze the cool kidz uze z’z) are responsible for the Hannah Montana pack.  The only way to get this charming “lilac” console is to buy the whole Hannah Montana package.  However, the PSP has a much smaller selection of games, most of which are either battle or professional sports oriented, so unless you consider Tomb Raider empowering and not exploitative, Hannah Montana is about the only girl oriented game available on this system.

Exhibit B: The “Imagine” Series

Nintendo’s series of “Imagine…” games are virtual versions of the things girls apparently should aspire to be. They are described as “the first-ever brand developed to appeal to girls ages 6-14.”

There are games that include hobbies, such as Cheerleader (“Play an athletic and passionate girl who wants to make a difference in her school by becoming a cheerleader. Learn different cheers, jumps, lifts, and routines that will get the crowds pumping and inspire your teams to victory!“) and Figure Skater.

There are games that include stereotypical “dream” careers such Makeup Artist (“Make your clients happy and beautiful by catering to their needs!“) and Fashion Designer.

There are the slightly more empowering careers Boutique (but not Business) Owner and Rock Star (“Create a stylish rock band and customize each member’s look: Design outfits, style their hair and makeup & snap pictures of your band!“).

And then there are careers such as Family Doctor (“Build relationships with all your patients, young and old, to become the favorite doctor in town!“) and Teacher, which both display female professionals in caretaking roles over young girls.

There is no “Imagine…” series for boys, but there is “Jake Power,” described as “the 1st line of video games which allows young kids to live their dream job through the eyes of a new hero, Jake. In each game, kids can experience the thrilling life of Jake who does all the jobs kids love: fireman, policeman, handyman, etc.” While the “Imagine…” games are specifically targeted at girls, the “Jake Power” games claim to be targeted at “kids” in general, although there is no Jane Power, and the jobs kids love are fireMAN, policeMAN, and handyMAN rather than firefighter, police officer, and handy person.

Exhibit C: Popularity Contests

“Diss and Make Up: The Clique” is based on a popular book series, but that doesn’t make it any less vomit inducing.  The description reports: “Give your character her very own signature look, scheme and gossip with friends or take a break from the action and play minigames that will help you reach your dream of becoming a member of The Pretty Committee.“  Being the new girl in school isn’t easy: “You have to go to class, get an after-school job and, most importantly, become a member of The Pretty Committee!“  Ahh, priorities.

We’ll just let the description do the talking for this one, too.  “It is not just a game, it’s a lifestyle! Girl Time is everything a girl needs right at her fingertips. Get daily advice and tips for just about every life situation. Just Like the Magazines! Ever wonder what your flirting style is or do you have what it takes to be a super star? Take tons of quizzes that are just like those popular magazines. Mini Game Challenges! Every time you play the game is new! Spice Up Your Life!”  OMG!!!  EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!  YES!!!

These things write themselves, people.  “The Chase: Felix meets Felicity follows the tale of either Felix or Felicity, two messengers, who meet by chance. The game picks up with the pair racing their respective ways across town to get to their date on time.”

So, in summary, we’ve got gossip, flirting style quizzes (Just like the magazines!), and dating all in the palm of your hand.  And for some reason, girls would rather play these social games than action or adventure games.  But we’re not stereotyping based on gender or anything.

Exhibit D: A Glimmer of Hope?

Now, there are a fair share of movie tie-in games that are as gender neutral as the movies themselves, but that’s another story.  And there are the increasingly popular music simulation games, and all those pocket pet games that we’ll pretend aren’t targeted at girls.  But among the cliched crap, I did come across a couple of action/adventure-y games with female protagonists.

First, there’s the Nickelodeon TV tie-in, iCarly. “Create your very own webisodes from skits from the show. The success and progression of your show and the achievement of unlockables is based on your Fan-meter. The more fans the better you do.”  There’s still a little bit of the popularity-contest theme in the mix here, but like the TV program, the game encourages girls to be creative and constructive in a do-it-yourself manner.

Next we’ve got the classic Nancy Drew in a more modern format.  Players can search for clues, interview witnesses and suspects, and solve the mystery of the hidden staircase.  The social aspect is key once again, but no more than it would be in any other mystery game.
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Insecticide is a game that is likely to appeal to both boys and girls with its dark, buggy theme, but for a change a truly gender neutral game features a female lead character.  “Join Detective Chrys Liszt and partner Roachy Caruthers on the case as they become entangled in a web of crime in this 3rd-person shooter/detective game. It’s an action-adventure in the truest sense of the word, immersing players in cinematic combat levels, as well as a story-based detective investigation.”

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Finally, in this mystery game protagonist Nina and her sidekick Max set off to search for Nina’s father who has recently disappeared.  They travel across the globe, uncovering the truth about the secret experiments that Nina’s father was involved with in the early 1900s and trying to save the old man and protect the secrets against adversaries.
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Despite what marketers would have us believe, females of all ages (from young girls to full grown women) play video games, and not just to appeal to the males of the species.  Girl gamers aren’t interested in sparkly consoles or games that tell them how to look or act.  We aren’t interested in drama, gossip, and romance as the meat of our games – yeah, maybe they’ll play a role (Final Fantasy, anyone?), but they’re a means to an end, not then end themselves.  Marketers take the easy way out and play to stereotypes.  We’re not playing along.

But, if you look carefully, you can find some female positive games out there and have a good time without being drowned in a sea of pink.

Shoutouts to Casey Lynn at Geeks are Sexy for her awesome post on the PSPs new campaign.