InsaneJournal

I really should just stop posting...
But I'm waiting for my boyfriend to get here. So what better way to occupy my time than getting suitably outraged over stupid stuff like Nintendo's latest attempt to cater to women.

Full disclosure: I'm not what one would normally consider a "gamer" (well, not with video games. I kick ass in D&D, however). I enjoy playing the occasional video game (Dead Rising was bad ass. And I really, really want to get a Wii so that I can play the Pirates of the Caribbean game. Sword fighting!) but for the most part my favorites are from back on the SNES. I don't care about graphics or even story lines all that much; I want something with high replay value that doesn't take 45 minutes just to learn which button makes you jump vs. super jump.

I also have a weakness for simulation and strategy games, but that's a whole other post.

But you want to know how you attract me, a border-line female gamer, to buy your system and games? Don't patronize me. Give me an engaging game that DOESN'T objectify my gender/sexual orientation/race (okay, not my race - Caucasian woman here). I can shoot aliens or zombies along with my guy friends - I just prefer to have a female avatar while I'm doing it. A female avatar that isn't Lara Croft.

And give me sim games. Nintendogs looks incredibly cute and fun (I had Catz on my computer in middle school). There's a cooking game that I wasted some time playing in Best Buy once. Puzzle games are always a hit.

Do not try to sell me a "video game" that doles out advice on "womanly manners."

Now creating a "game" that helps monitor actual health-related activities (hours of sleep, activity levels and water intake) could possibly be helpful to everyone. We all know about the obesity epidemic in this country (and how people are hoping that the increased activity required for the Wii, or games like Dance Dance Revolution will have an impact). I could definitely see a simple "game" being created and actually used by people to keep track of their daily activities. So many people keep their video game systems with them 24/7, this could be used to keep an electronic food journal, or calculate just how many calories were burned by taking the five flights of stairs up to class rather than hopping on the elevator.

Let's hope that this particular game doesn't make the jump from Japan to the US. We have enough body issues without a video game telling us to eat more ginger.