Women (for the most part) Dislike Vector Arcade Games

[HoshiChiri]

Are you kidding? I LOVE vector games! It's such a unique visual, and there's a tendency for a wonderful, fast-paced experience that triggers a 'zen' frame of mind where you aren't really actively thinking about your actions, you're just intensively responding to the game. I want a Vectrex in the worst way... there's at least one that keeps turning up at local cons. I have multiple con photo albums with pictures of that unit in it, just show I have a way to show people what a Vectrex is!

 

Honestly, the girls I know game the same way the guys I know do- based on what they played growing up. There's a definite lean towards platformers for most of my lady gamer friends, which makes sense for children of the 8 & 16 bit eras. The only style of game largely ignored is first person shooters, but the reasons vary... one is a causal player who doesn't enjoy getting pummeled by our guy gamer friends before she can figure out the controls. She leans toward one player games in general for that reason. One only encounters FPS within my group, no one else she knows cares for them so she's never bothered. I personally have a bizarrely difficult time with any first person camera, I just can't wrap my head around it well enough to move about fluidly, even if no one is shooting at me. (The time it took me to finish Portal would make many of you weep.) Finally, the youngest in our group... grew up playing Halo with her brothers and therefore thoroughly enjoys FPSes. So, yeah- I see a correlation between childhood favorites and adult preferences (kinda like how younger retro gamers can struggle with an Atari joystick because they cut their teeth with a D-pad.)

 

 

 

 

 

Oh and Flojomojo... you're also mistaken about "people" not caring about getting women into the arcades. In fact, the entire industry has bent over backwards and "evolved" to cater to you AND young children alike. Women, mothers in particular are the sole reason arcades today are brightly lit, clean, picked up, made safer, etc. I'm talking about the real money making arcades you find inside waterparks and other destinations. Hell, even so called Barcades with nice seating, family friendly redemption games, all the food and fruity drinks. Totally geared to attract women, mom's especially! Just like how it is at home, everyone and anyone in such a business (retail of course too) knows you take care of the woman FIRST and foremost. It's who holds the purse strings/checkbook/wallet anymore.

 

I respectfully disagree- arcades evolved to appeal to children, not women. I've never met a woman who walked by Chuck E. Cheese and said "Wow! Pizza AND an animatronic band! I know where the next Girl's Night Out is gonna be!" Make the kids scream to go in and see the singing rat, and Mom will go so they shut up. 'Tis a time honored tradition.