Feb 5, 2010
Welcome to our weekly Community Q!
Once a week we flip the tables and listen to what you guys have to say . . . rather than sitting back and make you listen to us!
Community Q: there’s recently been a slew of pinkified items hitting the gaming market, everything from ‘designer’ DS consoles (see below) to pink Wiimotes to overtly pink game art. Do you think that there is an industry-wide assumption that ‘pinkifying’ gaming will automatically appeal to the female market? If so, is it successful? Male or female, how do you feel about the perpetuation of pink peripherals?
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Yes, I definitely feel that is an attempt to get more women/girls to get into gaming. But, personally, I hate pink. I would prefer to see more purple or black with designs! Though, I don’t think it is actually making more people buy the consoles just because they are a different color.
Well, speaking from an Aunt’s perspective who has a young niece: She specifically wanted the PINK DS, while her brother wanted the blue one. Very common gender colors and all.
Now, I don’t mind if you like pink things (I have kind of a Hello Kitty weakness despite my more macabre tendencies), but I really find the puffy satin case and pearls to be overkill. I read somewhere, though, that a lot of pink actually improves your mood and motor skills — so maybe the designers have a more scientific approach? Haha.
It seems a little patronizing to assume that all girls like pink.* IMO, changing the colour of a console or controller isn’t going to make someone fork out the cash if they weren’t planning to do so already – it just gives them more choice when they do.
Oh, and I’m with you, Lyn on the purple and black!
*No, that wasn’t me you saw the other day buying a pink keyboard for my PS3. *ahem*
I totally agree with Sarah on this. Changing the color doesn’t attract anyone to the game that wouldn’t otherwise be interested. Something like this seems like a gimmick to get guys to buy this thing for their girly-girl wives/girlfriends.
Personally, I think that it’s great to have a variety of colors and styles for people to chose from since everyone has different tastes, but it becomes a problem when women are singled out so blatantly. I think this kind of marketing acts as a way for companies to feel like they’re doing something to “encourage” more women and girls to get into gaming without actually doing the hard work of trying to deal with the societal factors that led to the male-dominated gamer culture in the first place. Meanwhile, they’re also reinforcing the idea of women as separate from the rest of the culture since they “need” their own special colors and accessories.
Ditto’d. :)