That suggests we should be paying attention to the games, the people who play them, and the people who make them. But there's also a lack of attention to problems that many girls find interesting. Girls tell me these games are just boring. Research shows that, in general, boys are more interested in fantasy games involving combat and conquest. Girls, on the other hand, generally prefer more reality-based problems of social interaction.
Men are much more interested in hardware and action.
One of the first things the girls' games makers have done is find ways to introduce character and a focus on the emotional choices people make. Like confronting someone when they're mean to you. Or deciding not to let somebody copy your homework. It gives girls an emotional rehearsal space. In her research at the Media Lab, Cassell focuses on similar kinds of narrative games that she says appeal to boys as well as girls.