Girls do play games. In fact, there are more women on this Earth than there are men, so mathematically there should/could be more women playing games than men. The problem is that we live in a male dominated society, and the video game industry is one of the most perverse examples. As such, women get the shaft when it comes to consoles. Men harass them in Xbox Live lobbies, fellow non-gamer women look down upon their nerdier counterparts (even in 2011 we have to deal with this bullshit), and boyfriends ignore the fact that their girlfriend might love to play a game with them, just because the game in question isn’t Halo Reach or Black Ops (not to say that there aren’t girls who play those; I know a few personally). Never mind the often ignored statistic that half of Wii owners are women. If you don’t consider that statistic legitimate because the Wii “isn’t a real video game console”, then you’re part of the problem.
Speaking of our generation specifically, there are very few honest “virgin” girl gamers. Most girls have played a video game at some point in their life. Some are just casually fine with it, but don’t actively play. Some girls who are too concerned with social bullshit that they might deny the fact that they play, or have played games since for some reason girls who game are generally frowned upon by society. Either way, you can count on the fact that video games are no longer a mystery subject with females. The trick is finding that special game that will immediately start a conversation and open that door to communal playtime.
Generally, I’ve found the most luck breaking ice with puzzle games. It doesn’t matter what kind of game your resident closeted (or even open) girl gamer is into. Odds are she likes puzzle games of some sort. Specifically, give Tetris & Dr. Mario a try. One of the all-time highest selling Super Nintendo cartridges, Tetris & Dr. Mario is nearly unobtainable not because it is anywhere close to rare, but because nobody ever sells their copy. Where else can you find two of the biggest chick magnets ever laid to silicon in one package? But of the two, Dr. Mario is easily the biggest pull, at least for the thirty and under demographic.
Every wonder why fewer girls played Smash Bros. Brawl than Melee? Maybe it’s just because Nintendo removed the Doc. Yes, Dr. Mario, that little mystical puzzle game from 1990. Dr. Mario has a strange, magical power over women. I’ve never met a girl who didn’t instantly fall in love with it. I’ve always been a Tetris Attack/Pokemon Puzzle League player myself (the most hardcore competitive block puzzle of all time), but girls love Dr. Mario. It’s that perfect balance between mild cuteness, puzzle solving, and light competition that just creates a particularly potent case of feminine video game addiction. How do I know? Lots of real world tests, of course. I’ve converted/renewed 15 girl gamers with Dr. Mario, including my own Mother.
The Doc comes in many variations: Game Boy, NES, SNES, N64 (4-player!), DSi, and even online with the Wii. The power of Dr. Mario is amazing, but if you’re looking for the most potent dose, just go for Tetris & Dr. Mario. These are easily the two best chick games ever produced, combined into one extremely powerful package. Rarity aside, it’s easily the best girl gamer magnet I’ve seen. I randomly place it at local gamer gatherings. Just set an old CRT with a copy of Tetris & Dr. Mario up in the corner, then disappear and enjoy some Halo Reach. Watch what happens. Slowly, you’ll see girls migrate that direction, regardless of their regular gaming habits. Other slam dunk chick magnets include: Tetris 2, Puyo Puyo, Yoshi’s Cookie, Meteos, Puzzle Fighter… you get the picture.
And if you’re fairly competent in any of those games? Well dude, you’ve got it made!
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