The "General Games Chat" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
The videogames business is a predominantly male domain. The majority of gamers are male and the developers do everything they can to attract their attention with blood, gore, and female characters that have a waist so tiny that in reality it would snap with the weight of the massive boobs that these characters posess. What do us girls get? A short and fat plumber, an Arnold Scwartzenegger lookalike who is fasinated with naked women and James Bond. That doesn't bother me too much. After all, I prefer to fantasise over real people than 3D animations. However, I am sick of these games that are supposedly designed for girls, such as the "Mary-Kate and Ashley" and "Barbie" range of games - which are so boring!
There is a question that I have been asked frequently (not by the same person though), and that is, 'Wouldn't you prefer games which are full of cute and cuddliness instead of the same bloody and gorey titles that are designed to attract male gamers?'
Sure, I may be a girl, but does that necessarily mean I can't like some of the same things boys do? After all, I like the James Bond movies, The Terminator movies, the Star Wars movies; Are you going to try to tell me that no boys here liked the more 'cutesy' movies such as Shrek, Toy Story and Monsters Inc? It is the same with the videogames business. Girls and boys can like different genres alike, maybe for different reasons, but it can happen.
Occasionally, I am asked by some people, "If you could make the perfect game for yourself, what would it be like?" Well obviously, if I knew that, I would be a very rich business-woman selling the game and involving more girls into the world of videogaming.
Perfection is something that cannot be achieved in a videogame. Not even Official Playstation 2 Magazine could say that Timeplitters 2 was perfect. They may have given it 10/10, but one of their scores for a particular element of the games was 9/10. It's just not feasable to create a perfect game.
So maybe I cannot say what would be included in the game, but I can describe what would make a game seem well above average to myself. To me, the near-perfect game would have an unpredictable storyline. One with unusual plot twists that don't spoil the game. It would also have to include a wide variety of play. So, for example, if it was a First Person Shooter (FPS) then it would certainly have to be more than just a run -> shoot -> hide -> shoot -> run -> etc. The game would have to be simple to play, yet difficult to complete, with visuals that look clean and crisp, even if they aren't fully 3D worlds - after all, 3D graphics aren't everything in a game. The music would have to be brilliantly atmospheric, or atleast something that both suits the game and is still a joy to listen to. After all, there's nothing more off-putting than badly written music.
Infact, there are many different detirmining factors as to what would make a game brilliant, but again, if I went into too much detail, would the game still seem near-perfect to me? I enjoy the unpredictability of videogames - such as the storyline of Skies of Arcadia. I was quite suprised to see Aika, the main female character, nearly get raped by an evil Valuan commander that it felt a joy to rescue her. That is why, although I already have a copy of Skies of Arcadia on the Dreamcast, I will also be buying the now GameCube exclusive Skies of Arcadia.
Skies of Arcadia is my favourite game. It was full of unpredictability, drama, and required skill and intelligence to complete. It was a passionate storyline full of emotion and also incorporated the sad truths of real life such as war, poverty and the human urge to conquer. The music was fantastic, suited every moment and even changed in-battle whether you were winning or losing! It was such a brilliant game that even though I now know what's coming, I'm still going to be hooked to it on my GameCube when it is eventually released. The game could still be improved upon, but even so, it is still my favourite game.
So if you are ever asked what would make the perfect game. Don't rush straight in with some funny-duddy ideas on how it could be similar to a particular Playstation 2 game, or include elements from a game on the X-box. Think about it carefully and consider what it is that makes that games you really enjoy seem so amazingly fun to play. If a game was too similar to another, would you still insist on buying it?
Thankyou for reading.
Dani.
There is a question that I have been asked frequently (not by the same person though), and that is, 'Wouldn't you prefer games which are full of cute and cuddliness instead of the same bloody and gorey titles that are designed to attract male gamers?'
Sure, I may be a girl, but does that necessarily mean I can't like some of the same things boys do? After all, I like the James Bond movies, The Terminator movies, the Star Wars movies; Are you going to try to tell me that no boys here liked the more 'cutesy' movies such as Shrek, Toy Story and Monsters Inc? It is the same with the videogames business. Girls and boys can like different genres alike, maybe for different reasons, but it can happen.
Occasionally, I am asked by some people, "If you could make the perfect game for yourself, what would it be like?" Well obviously, if I knew that, I would be a very rich business-woman selling the game and involving more girls into the world of videogaming.
Perfection is something that cannot be achieved in a videogame. Not even Official Playstation 2 Magazine could say that Timeplitters 2 was perfect. They may have given it 10/10, but one of their scores for a particular element of the games was 9/10. It's just not feasable to create a perfect game.
So maybe I cannot say what would be included in the game, but I can describe what would make a game seem well above average to myself. To me, the near-perfect game would have an unpredictable storyline. One with unusual plot twists that don't spoil the game. It would also have to include a wide variety of play. So, for example, if it was a First Person Shooter (FPS) then it would certainly have to be more than just a run -> shoot -> hide -> shoot -> run -> etc. The game would have to be simple to play, yet difficult to complete, with visuals that look clean and crisp, even if they aren't fully 3D worlds - after all, 3D graphics aren't everything in a game. The music would have to be brilliantly atmospheric, or atleast something that both suits the game and is still a joy to listen to. After all, there's nothing more off-putting than badly written music.
Infact, there are many different detirmining factors as to what would make a game brilliant, but again, if I went into too much detail, would the game still seem near-perfect to me? I enjoy the unpredictability of videogames - such as the storyline of Skies of Arcadia. I was quite suprised to see Aika, the main female character, nearly get raped by an evil Valuan commander that it felt a joy to rescue her. That is why, although I already have a copy of Skies of Arcadia on the Dreamcast, I will also be buying the now GameCube exclusive Skies of Arcadia.
Skies of Arcadia is my favourite game. It was full of unpredictability, drama, and required skill and intelligence to complete. It was a passionate storyline full of emotion and also incorporated the sad truths of real life such as war, poverty and the human urge to conquer. The music was fantastic, suited every moment and even changed in-battle whether you were winning or losing! It was such a brilliant game that even though I now know what's coming, I'm still going to be hooked to it on my GameCube when it is eventually released. The game could still be improved upon, but even so, it is still my favourite game.
So if you are ever asked what would make the perfect game. Don't rush straight in with some funny-duddy ideas on how it could be similar to a particular Playstation 2 game, or include elements from a game on the X-box. Think about it carefully and consider what it is that makes that games you really enjoy seem so amazingly fun to play. If a game was too similar to another, would you still insist on buying it?
Thankyou for reading.
Dani.
Page:
Timesplitters 2 is essentially run=shoot=run=activate something=shoot e.t.c. but it's still brilliant on the demo alone. The plot also isn't anything massive- essentially 1 screen of text, but that develops in the game itself, not before or after.
The best game plots start off simple and are furthered by actual in game action, not endless cutscenes - although Metal Gear Solid 2 is an exception.
At the end of the day the perfect game for everyone doesn't exist because we all like different things, plus, just when we've each found the latest release that's our supposed perfect game, another one comes out that's better !
On a different note, games like Barbie and the Mary Kate & Ashley games are so obviously not aimed at any girl's over about 6-8 and just looking at them makes that obvious, I also think most male gamers know that so we don't class them as girl's games, they're kids games like the Cartoon Network games and other cartoony stuff.
For Older gamers, about anyone over 10+ now, I wouldn't say most games are really marketed at either sex. Sure, a few are, but Nintendo especially with the Gamecube is pretty much flawless - the adverts advertise the games and are just aimed at gamer's in general. Sony have also targeted age groups with the PS2, not just guys, X Box...well that marketing campaign is just different..... The poor publishers are probably just fed up of it all. Back in the lae 90's people complained of too few women in games, so Lara Croft was created and female characters in Resident Evil e.t.c Then people said these just appealed to guys again, so we see more male characters, which people say don't appeal to women... At the end of the day a good game is a good game whether it's a woman, man, dog or whatever you control, and whatever you do in the game, be it shooting, puzzles e.t.c.
~~Belldandy~~
The best game plots start off simple and are furthered by actual in game action, not endless cutscenes - although Metal Gear Solid 2 is an exception.
At the end of the day the perfect game for everyone doesn't exist because we all like different things, plus, just when we've each found the latest release that's our supposed perfect game, another one comes out that's better !
On a different note, games like Barbie and the Mary Kate & Ashley games are so obviously not aimed at any girl's over about 6-8 and just looking at them makes that obvious, I also think most male gamers know that so we don't class them as girl's games, they're kids games like the Cartoon Network games and other cartoony stuff.
For Older gamers, about anyone over 10+ now, I wouldn't say most games are really marketed at either sex. Sure, a few are, but Nintendo especially with the Gamecube is pretty much flawless - the adverts advertise the games and are just aimed at gamer's in general. Sony have also targeted age groups with the PS2, not just guys, X Box...well that marketing campaign is just different..... The poor publishers are probably just fed up of it all. Back in the lae 90's people complained of too few women in games, so Lara Croft was created and female characters in Resident Evil e.t.c Then people said these just appealed to guys again, so we see more male characters, which people say don't appeal to women... At the end of the day a good game is a good game whether it's a woman, man, dog or whatever you control, and whatever you do in the game, be it shooting, puzzles e.t.c.
~~Belldandy~~
Belldandy wrote:
> Timesplitters 2 is essentially run=shoot=run=activate something=shoot
> e.t.c. but it's still brilliant on the demo alone
I thought that was TS1, not 2...
> Timesplitters 2 is essentially run=shoot=run=activate something=shoot
> e.t.c. but it's still brilliant on the demo alone
I thought that was TS1, not 2...
Edgy wrote:
> gerrid wrote:
> Mafia
>
> Gerrid, I suggest you read topics in full before replying.
>
Actually, I didn't read any of the topic. It was far too long and I'm far too lazy. Too lazy to write long posts, and too lazy to read them. I'm sure it was good though.
> gerrid wrote:
> Mafia
>
> Gerrid, I suggest you read topics in full before replying.
>
Actually, I didn't read any of the topic. It was far too long and I'm far too lazy. Too lazy to write long posts, and too lazy to read them. I'm sure it was good though.
i dont think they make games bloody and gory to attract males. I just think thats a part of making the game seem more real - therefore attracting gamers
Boys like guns. Girls like guns, but not as much. Therfore, if you put guns in games, everyone will be happy. Especially if there are no aliens.
Edgy wrote:
> gerrid wrote:
> Mafia
>
> Gerrid, I suggest you read topics in full before replying.
>
NEVER ever say anything about Mafia...
> gerrid wrote:
> Mafia
>
> Gerrid, I suggest you read topics in full before replying.
>
NEVER ever say anything about Mafia...
gerrid wrote:
> Boys like guns. Girls like guns, but not as much. Therfore, if you put
> guns in games, everyone will be happy. Especially if there are no
> aliens.
*
Huh? Especially if there are no aliens.... what?
> Boys like guns. Girls like guns, but not as much. Therfore, if you put
> guns in games, everyone will be happy. Especially if there are no
> aliens.
*
Huh? Especially if there are no aliens.... what?
Nomad Soul wrote:
> gerrid wrote:
> Boys like guns. Girls like guns, but not as much. Therfore, if you
> put
> guns in games, everyone will be happy. Especially if there are no
> aliens.
>
> *
>
> Huh? Especially if there are no aliens.... what?
gerrid probably prefers to shoot people instead of aliens......
~~Belldandy~~
> gerrid wrote:
> Boys like guns. Girls like guns, but not as much. Therfore, if you
> put
> guns in games, everyone will be happy. Especially if there are no
> aliens.
>
> *
>
> Huh? Especially if there are no aliens.... what?
gerrid probably prefers to shoot people instead of aliens......
~~Belldandy~~
Who doesn't prefer shooting people?
Aliens are okay but the last few levels of Perfect Dark stunk cause of the sodding Aliens.
Aliens are okay but the last few levels of Perfect Dark stunk cause of the sodding Aliens.
Aliens are rubbish. I hate shooting aliens, zombies, animals, robots, and demons. I like to shoot real people. In the face. Twice.
Oh, and who called me gerris?
Oh, and who called me gerris?
Page: