Last Resort Designs. Brenda Laurel of Purple Moon, a renowned 20 year entertainment software and research veteran, came up with research that stated that for girls, adventure games leading characters should be everyday people that girls can easily relate to and are as real to girls as their best friends. On the other hand, boys like super heroes and fantasy-based heroes. I m seeing girls games that feature fat girls who have no friends or a depressed girl whose parents got divorced, or some other girls whose lives suck, explain in FMV why their life sucks. This year, Purple Moon came up with two titles called Rockett s New School, and Secret Paths in the Forest.
Girls can even go and visit the characters own web pages and help the characters with life stuff.
And they are not alone. It s as if in order to be taken seriously, girl games companies now have to come armed with research bibles to prove why their seemingly dull games are in fact tested to be fun. Girl Games, a fledgling company with attitude has a relationship with the National Science Foundation to test what girls like. Too which feature forays into the Hairmaster , My Zodiac Zone, and Personality Quizzes. What an escape.