Study Reveals Women Choose Video Games Instead of Sleep

"According to the E for All / PoshMama survey, more than one-third of those surveyed say that they play video games when they should be sleeping. Women in the survey also say they play video games in other unusual circumstances, including: while on the phone (32%); while at work/in a meeting (20%); and, while preparing for work (12%). When it comes to spare time, nearly twice as many women say that, if given an extra hour of free time at home, they would rather play video games than catch up on sleep."

Commentary on NY Games Conference

I've just returned from the first annual NY Games Conference in NYC, which was held on September 25 - 26, 2008.

Reality Check! Q&A with our Panel of Gamers from the Millennial Generation

What struck me about the teenage girls' comments was that they mostly found out about games through their brothers... and did not have much of an idea of how their brothers found out about games. As for the purchasing of games, they said they bought games for their brothers.

This mirrors previous research that was presented at a past GDC. College-age women mostly found out about games through their husbands or boyfriends. This is why women are typically the "2nd user" of a game. If the game is in the household, they will play it. College-age women also typically bought games for boyfriends or husbands as gifts.

Games of Tomorrow and the Future of MMOGs
John Smedley, President of Sony Online Entertainment, revealed that the EverQuest demographic was 85% male, with an average age of 33. This is why with FreeRealms, SOE wants to appeal to girls and try to get the male-female ratio to 50:50. Smedley explained that since combat appeals to boys more, making combat optional is a way to appeal to girls. Smedley also pointed to the recent success of the movie Dark Knight in asserting that DC Universe Online, as a licensed property, will bring in younger and female players.

Fernando Paiz, Executive Producer of Dungeons & Dragons Online at Turbine Entertainment said that because Turbine's MMOGs, Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online and Asheron's Call, were fantasy games, the user base is predominately male, older, with significantly longer play sessions of 2-3 hours at a time.

A Bad Boss Can Send You to an Early Grave

Fear the seagull manager!

"Then—-instead of getting the facts straight and working alongside their staff to realize a viable solution-—seagull managers come swooping in at the last minute, they squawk orders at everybody, and deposit steaming piles of formulaic advice before abruptly taking off..."

WIGI/GamerVixens Mixer at E for All

From 8 pm to 11 pm, the Angels & Vixens party will take place at the Broadway Bar. Please RSVP for the party at the following link. RSVPs are required.

http://www.gamervixens.com/party/

Games Women Play

Robert Norton, Managing Director, North America of King.com, reveals research on female casual game players.

Is Lara Croft Sexist?

"The question of whether or not Lara is sexy or just plain sexist is not such a cut and dry issue. With Eidos' introduction of a new living, breathing (gymnast) Lara Croft model, we asked women of the games industry about Lara's evolving role as the iconic front-woman of the hit Tomb Raider franchise..."

WIGI Celebrity Ebay Auction

For those of you attending the Austin Game Developer¹s Conference, WIGI is
having a fabulous celebrity auction to raise money for the group. The WIGI
Celebrity Ebay Auction is a collection of over a hundred video games and
game-related merchandise much of it signed by industry leaders auctioned off
to raise money for the Women in Games International. Please watch out for
the items on display and bid on your favorites. All the items have been
donated to WIGI to support the organization.

Items include autographed Law and Order TV script + Law and Order game (Ed Zuckerman, Legacy Interactive), autographed Mass Effect poster + XBox Game + PC Game + Demiurge Studios T (Bioware, Demiurge), autographed Witcher UK version(CDProjekt RED, Writers Cabal), lots of Halo 3 swag (Microsoft), autographed Frontlines: Fuel of War special edition Australian tin + XBox Game + T (THQ/Kaos), autographed Bioshock strategy guide (2K) and lots more!

The auctions will run on Ebay so if you're not at the conference, you can still bid on the items.

WIGI Community Mixer - Vancouver

Join us for the highly anticipated Women In Games International - Vancouver BC - YALETOWN FUSION MIXER!!!

Come fuse & mingle with current and future game pros,
in conjunction with the SIGGRAPH/SPARK Animation
event in Vancouver, British Columbia.

HOSTED BAR/HOSTED APPETIZERS & DOOR PRIZES

All genders welcome

Sponsored by Big Fish Games.


Thursday, September 11, 2008
Time:
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:
Goldfish Pacific Kitchen
Street:
1118 Mainland Street
City/Town:
West Vancouver, BC

Tecmo Settles Overtime Suit

"The suit, which was filed with the Tokyo District Court in June 2008, claimed that under Tecmo’s "flexible hours" work scheme, employees were not paid appropriately for their overtime hours, which often exceeded 100 hours per month. The suit also alleged that the company created false documents to cover up the accounting documents..."