Gaming Industry Markets Tween Girls

I found this article and thought it was really interesting because I have always associated video games with boys.  It seems that all of the games that are highly marketed deal with fighting, war, car racing, and street fighting which are things that are of most interest to boys.  I have never seen a push with advertisements towards girls in regards to gaming.  The article indicates one of the reasons for this is that the gaming industry has found that casual gamers are making up a large part of the market and therefore they are moving some of their focus to this demographic.  The majority of tween girls aren’t hardcore gamers but if games are made that are more in line with their interests I can see how there could be a large market for this.  A previous article I read by Whitley shows how large the tween market is and companies are trying to cash in on every angle that they can (Whitley, 2010).  The article notes that EA has a lineup of games aimed at tweens with one of the biggest being Charm Girls Club, which is a game that features proms, pajama parties, hair teasing, and malls (Campbell, 2009).  Sony is also working to appeal to tween girls by making a lilac colored PlayStation that will go with the Hannah Montana game (Campbell, 2009).  I think that Sony and EA are on the right track with their push to integrate tween girls into the market.  The features of the Charm Girls Club are in line with many of the interests of girls at this age and will likely be a big hit with them.  Many of them love going to the mall and hanging out with their friends, and a game that replicates this is ideal.

CAMPBELL Gerard.  (2009, June 23). Tween girls growing target for game makers. The Press,E.7.  Retrieved September 29, 2010, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 1757514741).

Whittley, A. (2010, August). Tiny Power Shopper: Children aged eight to 12 wield outsized economic clout when it comes to cellphones and the virtual world of video games. National Post, F.P.7. Retrieved September 14, 2010 from ProQuest Newstand. (Document ID: 2124837501).