For those of you who missed the Game Developers Conference in the beginning of March, I have a juicy news story for you. However, if you’re offended by material of a sexual nature, please be warned that you should stop reading here. For those of you who fit into the other category (I’m resisting nicknames!), you might want to check out the entire news story: “Developers aim to lure women to adult games.” 

According to the article, “While the video game industry appears more ready than ever to take on adult content, it still is grappling with how to get women interested. And it’s not just an altruistic or gender equality equation: marketers want women involved because women attract large numbers of male customers.”

Unfortunately, the gaming industry hasn’t quite figured out what makes women tick. “Despite some advances, it still seems that there is a long way to go, particularly because many sexually-oriented video games are geared to giving their male audience what they really want: a way to almost instantaneously have sex. And that doesn’t go over well with some women.”  

What exactly does go over well with women? In a previous blog, I asked a similar question: “Can men crack the female sexual code?” Brenda Brathwaite, chair of the International Game Developers Association sex special interest group, explains what works for her. “It’s the thrill of the chase. When the animal just (lies) down dead and says take me, (it’s not erotic). No, I have to kill you first. It’s really important. Women want that degree (of erotic advancement), that chemical whatever that builds up over time… ‘Make me think I’m hunting’–every woman I talk to, that’s what they say.”