Guilded Lilies

Update: Crossing Over to the Lite Side

Things have been busy, but I wanted to post a quick update on my new DS Lite experience.  I received so many helpful comments and suggestions for games on the original post, and so now I have a nice long list of games to get when my budget allows.  Here's what I started with:

• DS Lite in Onyx Black:  I decided I would rather deal with smudges than dirt so went with the black one, but boy were you all right about the smudges!  I have never seen anything show fingerprints like the finish on this thing.
• New Super Mario Bros.:  This is the game I bought with the system, and it is so pleasantly entertaining.  The format creates the perfect blend of "casual" mindless fun and short playing, with enough challenge and structure for longer sessions as well.  One question: How long does it take for the jaunty background music to leave your brain?  I have been walking around with my own personal Mario Muzak soundtrack for over a week now, and although it hasn't driven me crazy yet, I am hoping that it isn't permanent.
• Metroid Prime Pinball:  I ordered this game and the next one online and am still waiting for them to arrive so I haven't played them yet.  I picked this over MP Hunters for now because of the price point, and plus the in-game clips I saw looked like great fun.
• Retro Atari Classics:  I found this listed on Amazon, and couldn't resist getting it.  I don't know how these games will translate to the DS format, but I am looking forward to having a chance to play my all-time favorite arcade game, Tempest, once again regardless. This should provide some great mindless fun for my move across country.

I also ordered a Hori screen protector, and a dear friend gave me an early Christmas present and bought me one of those awesome nerdy carrying cases with all the DS Lite accessories inside, to keep everything together for my road trip.

It took me about 5 minutes to become a dedicated DS Lite user - this thing is fantastic!  I wasn't really sure that I would like the format; my impression was that it was too small for anything beyond time-killing entertainment.  I bought it as a way to familiarize myself with side-scrolling game formats, since my first term at school will focus on 2D games.  To be quite honest, I figured I would play around with it enough to experience the hand-held game format, familiarize myself with a few well-designed games, and then loose interest in it - at which point I would be able to sell it used on eBay and get back some of my money.  The reality is that I completely underestimated the appeal of this thing.  It is a much more sophisticated gadget than I ever imagined, and playing on the small screens hasn't lessened my sense of fun or immersion in any way that I can imagine.  Quite unexpectedly I have been converted to the Nintendo philosophy of gameplay, and am completely under the thrall of the Force of Lite.  I will be hanging onto my DS Lite until someone has to pry it from my cold, dead fingers!

Of course most of you reading this already knew this about the DS - which is why I received so many enthusiastic recommendations on the original post.  Thanks again for all the great game suggestions, and let me know if you find any new favorites.

Crossing Over to the Lite Side

The time has finally arrived, and I am going to get a DS Lite.  My complete lack of exposure to all things Nintendo must be addressed, and the details of my changing life circumstances have made the decision clear.  I would love to have the Wii be my introduction to console gaming, and have given serious thought about getting one, but the practical reality of things make the DS Lite the best choice for me at this time.  So, now I am reaching out to the GL readership for suggestions and advice on this new gaming adventure.

First I have the color choice to consider: white, black, or pink. I am happy to see many women gamers re-imagining the pink stereotype by embracing pink as a female-positive color choice - but pink is out for me.  I am too much a product of my generation, and can't disassociate my childhood dislike for pink.  I'm thinking white will show the wear more than black, so I am planning on getting a black one at this point.  Also: Is there a good place online to order from for US delivery?

Second I have to pick the games:  I would like to start out with two games, and am thinking of getting one of the classic Mario and or Donkey Kong games as a study in good 2D side-scrolling game design.  I am open to suggestions for a good title along those lines.  I am thinking the second game choice will be Metroid Prime Hunters - if for no other reason than because of Brintsar's inspiring enthusiasm for the franchise!  I am also wondering if the game-play of Lego Star Wars II is very different from the PC version (which I have) - different enough to warrant playing it in this format as well. I am looking for games that are designed to capture something essential to the hand-held format.  Any other recommendations?

Third: Do I need any essential accessories?  I'm planning on getting screen protectors, and perhaps a carrying case.  Anything else I won't want to miss?

I appreciate any sage advice from readers who have embraced the wonders of the DS Lite ahead of me. I can't wait to get this thing and start having fun!

UPDATE 12/9/06: You can read my follow-up post HERE.

Oooooh, Statistics!: New Study From CEA Released

This just in from GameDaily BIZ:

"One of the common statistics often cited by video game industry trade groups is that the average age of a gamer nowadays is around 30 years old. What you might not know, however, is that among game players between the ages of 25 and 34, women far outnumber men, according to a new study by the Consumer Electronics Association (as reported in The New York Times).

The CEA study found that 65 percent of women in the 25-34 age bracket play video games, while only 35 percent of men in that group said that they play video games. Apparently, the key factor involved with these findings is the increasing popularity of casual games, especially among women."

Read the full story HERE.

I just love statistics about women playing games, don't you?

4/20/06
UPDATE: Here are a few new links for more information on the CEA study:

The original CEA press release can be found HERE.

You can read another overview of their findings HERE (MS Word Document, requires download).

Oooooh, Statistics!: BBC Gets Its Game On

BBC Creative Research and Development has commissioned this newly published report: Gamers in the UK: Digital Play, Digital Lifestyles.  It is chocked full of statistics and analysis of gaming trends in the UK for all ages, by gender, and by game platform.  Here is a great source for one-stop shopping for current gaming trends, and at first glance looks to be very thorough.  Have a look at the nicely designed 25 page PDF, complete with pie-charts and side bars, all in full color.  Sure this is the UK, and not the US, but I'm willing to make assumptions about the similarities between the two nations' gaming habits until something as well researched as this comes along for US gaming trends. Geek out, and expect to see me making reference to these stats in future posts on Guilded Lilies once I have a chance to digest all this statistical goodness. Yumm, lots of pie!

View the PDF HERE.

Thanks to Netwoman who found this via Boing Boing.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fuh-Un.

The gaming industry is falling over itself trying to meet the growing need for game content in the burgeoning field of cell phone (aka mobile) games, and specifically stretching to find something that will appeal to women.  Some of the more popular entries to this field are adaptations of PC and console games, reworking earlier iterations of successful game franchises like Doom, Quake, and Prince of Persia for the simplified game environment of cell phones.  The success of online games like Bejeweled (with a large female fan base) has been a big motivator for the direction of development for cell phone games geared toward the female market.

Clearly, some of these developers are a little lost.

Just read this quote from the LimeLife website on their game Girls' Night Out Solitaire:

"A night out with your virtual girlfriends is as close as your cell phone.     Play some mobile phone games of Klondike, Freecell and Concentration while your virtual friends chime in with jokes along the way. Enjoy relaxing Solitaire card game fun that's all dressed up with our favorite things -- purses, cocktails, and bling."

Purses? Cocktails? Bling?  Anyone else think this whole concept is condescending?

First, the oxymoronic name: Girls' Night Out Solitaire. "Girls' Night Out" suggests a boisterous gathering of you and your three best friends, getting together for some pink drinks and catty conversation ala Sex in the City.  Solitaire, on the other hand, is the card game of the individual - even the name sounds lonely. Clearly, Girls' Night Out Solitaire has been designed for the woman who's only real friend is her cell phone.  She is so lonely, in fact, that she doesn't even have anyone to call on the phone, so she has to play solitaire with a handful of make-believe virtual bubble-heads.  Does that sound satisfying to you, girlfriend?

LimeLife's other cell phone game offering, Word Heaven, isn't much more substantial either.  Word Heaven is Wheel of Fortune meets Touched by an Angel, providing the player the fantasy of being both Vanna White and Roma Downey at the same time.  As you guide your angel avatar toward heaven you gain points by directing it to 'eat' items in the shape of jewels, slices of cake, and purses, reinforcing those time established feminine ideals of "diamonds are a girl's best friend", "you can have you cake and eat it too", and "shop til you drop".  Yawn.

LimeLife's targeted age group is 15+, suggesting a wide age range as the potential audience, but I suspect the target market is teenage girls with cell phones.  This suspicion is reinforced by the planned marketing tie-in with CoverGirl, as a way for the makeup manufacturer to develop brand loyalty among teenage girls.  Granted, cell phone games have the potential to be huge markets, with large piles of money to be made, so no one should be surprised to find these kinds of marketing relationships emerging.

Here's a radical thought for companies designing games for women: How about designing something that gives us an opportunity to use our brains, even just a teensy bit?  Maybe too, it could be a game environment that doesn't look like a shopping mall?  And if you are feeling really brave, can you design us a game that gives us a sense that we can do more than just gossip with our friends?  I'm waiting, but I'm not holding my breath.
 

I learned about LimeLife's games from this article on the Gamasutra website, peeked by my interest in anything that addresses the topic of women gamers.  I am desperate to read about women and games, but not so desperate that I am pleased by the development of a gaming company like LimeLife.  Guilded Lilies rates it LameLife.