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Better Computer and Video Games for Girls

Techstination feature for Tuesday, September 9, 2003

The battle for better video games for girls. Bloomberg Boot Camp, a report on today's technology. It's a battle that's been fought by a small software company called Her Interactive for about eight years. CEO Megan Gaiser... says stores were reluctant to offer shelf space to her Nancy Drew line of computer games...

"We decided if they're not going to let us in the front door, we'll go around the back. So we started selling ourselves on Amazon."

As sales grew... retailers changed their mind... and about a million Her Interactive titles have been sold. Now with video game consoles so popular in households, Gaiser is running into the same issue all over again... the console makers have been slow to show interest in games designed for girls... .

"The consoles, the reason we have not gone to them is that they have not embraced the female market. They're still targeting and marketing towards males 18 to 30. And it's much like PC games when they first started out. They first targeted males, but eventually with games like The Sims, I think that's going to open up the doors for games targeted more towards females."

The Sims titles from Electronic Arts now have more women playing then men. Her Interactive is looking to expand its reach beyond the Nancy Drew games and eventually, Gaiser says, versions for video game consoles will arrive as well. Bloomberg Boot Camp, I'm Fred Fishkin.