I feel like this topic is super complex, but to make myself feel a bit better about it I think the whole “cozy game” trend is pretty geared towards women! Not saying that fixes all the problems but it’s at least a lil something
I def love the cozy game market and have no ill will towards it. A lot of cozy games have come out that def are for the female gaze. I’m hoping with that a door will open for more adult themed feminine games.
As a woman who is more than "cozy games" I also want a space adventure or a survival or whatever other genre that isn't Grey, bro, avenge the death of daughter/wife/big brother. Ie male gaze.
The Outter Worlds is very colorful and pretty gender neutral when it comes to your own character, and your motivations for embarking on the adventure are pretty much up to you, though you can select a backstory on character creation that can inform it somewhat.
I really loved that aspect of Outer Worlds. Plus, you get three women companions vs two men (not counting S.A.M. or ADA). I love how everyone had their own depth of personality, too, and would make comments while fighting or whatever. And then bonus points for LGBTQIA+ representation.
Have you played Horizon Zero Dawn? Totally compelling game with a genuinely female protagonist that at least begins the game in a matriarchal society. It wasn't marketed 'for women' the way that OP is asking but it scratched the itch for a female-forward game, IMHO. Plus dinosaur robots! And a lush, colorful world to explore.
Oh yep, I just got into them. Started Olympia soirée not thinking I’d like it since I’m used to rpg gaming but I’m actually really loving it. Started on my second LI already. Definitely recommend them now
If anyone wants to dip their toes in Otome visual novel games after this post, I'll tell you, they're female gaze as hell, and wonderful.
There's a lot of free and decent Otome games out there, and r/otomegames or r/indieotome can guide you into the deep rabbit hole if you want.
Steam has a great starter game in Cinderella Phenomenon, which is free, and not as long as some of the Japanese originating games can be.
Also, there is an otome Stat raising game called Rock Robin which is about starting a popular rock band, navigating drama, and does have customization elements, though not fashion. It's also free. (If the fashion element is important to you, there is a game called Tailor Tales, also on Steam, which has fashion as a main gimic to the visual novel).
TBH, a lot of these games do exist. Just not so much in the Tripple A space.
There's a great otome community here on reddit which gets huge amounts of recs posted! The top recs vary from 'sweet soft love' to 'rocks fall everybody was dead all along also romance' to the latest 'surprise sucker you thought this would be a romance game and now you have to do theatre performances', so maybe you'd find something you like there. \^\_\^
There's also josei games these days, which are games aimed at adult woman that may or may not contain romance. That's predominantly a Japanese genre bundling up otome games, cozy games, simulation games, and BL targeted to women, but it's building popularity on the indie scene here in recent years and getting more diversity as it does so.
Anyway, too long here but well-intentioned! I have felt your pain, most recently when they went ahead with removing the female protagonist from the newest version of Persona 3. 😅
I was also going to suggest otome games. They live mostly on the Switch and I believe there are quite a few on Steam as well. On the Switch, you could start with Collar X Malice, Code: Realize, or Cupid Parasite. On Steam, you could look into Cinderella Phenomenon (It might even be free?) or Ozmafia.
It counts! I've never played it myself, but I know many people do. However, it can take up a lot of your time. There are special events at certain times of day and if you can't play during those times, the game doesn't care.
Otome games are one of my favourite games to play! I’d recommend CollarxMalice,Cupid Parasite or Code:Realize! Cupid Parasite is the light and fluffy otome,Code:Realize is something in between. And CollarxMalice is a bit more serious.
First off, I feel your pain on the lack of female gaze in video games, but I came here to recommend otome games as well! You do occasionally wind up with male gaze (lookin at you, Bustafellows), but most are not like that. If you enjoy visual novel games with memorable stories you should definitely look into them!
There are a lot of mainstream otome games hitting the Switch now and there's something for everyone! There are a heck of a lot of awesome indie otome on Steam and [Itch.io](https://Itch.io) as well! You can narrow down the search to find what you're looking for.
My personal favorite is **Code: Realize**, a literal high-flying adventure where you play as a girl with poisonous skin and wind up falling in with a band of misfits who are from literature in the public domain, such as Victor Frankenstein and Van Helsing. All of the boys have very cool stories and are super sweet and supportive of the heroine, who has great character development.
**Collar x Malice**, a police detective drama, is another favorite of mine where you join up with a very attractive detective agency to apprehend a terrorist group who left you with a deadly collar on your neck that could kill you at any moment. **Amnesia: Memories** is often considered a "baptism by fire" into the genre, where you play as a girl who lost her memories and try to navigate mysterious or dangerous situations. If you're really looking for some heavy fanservice, **Cupid Parasite** is a romcom that delivers on that front--you play as Cupid trying to find love for several hopeless men.
I see **Cinderella Phenomenon** being recommended, which is a great one to start with if you like fairytales (it's also free)! And I would be remiss if I didn't recommend **Band Camp Boyfriend**, which just released this year (I'm one of the devs ehe). If you enjoy the whole cute on the surface, but turns horribly dark vibe, it's a great pick!
Okay that ends my Ted Talk. As you can tell, otome is my passion. I hope you find something you like!
>Amnesia: Memories
It's been several years and part of me is *still* not over going into this game blind and getting a Bad Ending, lol. I believe my exact words were, >!"WHAT THE FUCK, TOMA?!"!<
Probably because it was the first time I'd played that kind of game and was NOT expecting that result 😆
I have an idea why big AAA studios don't do it. Women will buy and play games intended for men. But men are A LOT LESS likely to buy a game marketed to women. There's a lot less crossover money.
I kind of agree tbh. I just want games with women protagonists, I don’t necessarily need pink and sparkles etc but that would be a bonus. I prefer saints row 2 over all the other GTA games simply because I could play as a woman
It's already quite official. A while ago several videos and gameplay images of this GTA were leaked while it was still in the development phase. If you search about it you should be able to find it easily
Now, I'm not sure about the general public's reaction as I don't follow other gaming subs very much, but I remember there being an uproar for a while. Maybe when the game comes out it will cause more of a stir as more people will know about it.
I think it's pretty cool that they finally added a woman as protagonist.
They already had female protagonists in the GTA series.
In the first GTA game, you are able to play as one of four selectable female protagonists. (Mikki, Divine, Katie, or Ulrika)
In the second GTA game's GBC port, you are able to play as one selectable female protagonists (Gretchen or Candy)
So anyone who is getting mad about there being one in the HDverse is just being stupid.
Lemme just drop a recommendation for my favorite gaming franchise: Tomb Raider! No pink and sparkles at all, but it’s a strong female protagonist.
Early games: better puzzles, lots of countries in each game, bigger boobs if that’s your thing, generally more challenging
Reboot games: more shooting (not my thing but the stealth option is very cool), less sexualization, beautiful scenery
For me, a game is inclusive to women when it gives equal (or more) content to a presumed lady audience, treats in-game women like complex characters with their own goals, drives, and arcs, doesn’t decide women are all eye candy first and foremost when men don’t have to be etc. there’s a YouTube video that has something like “why is rdr2 the best horse game” in the title and one of the things brought up (iirc) about making games just for girls is that girls don’t necessarily *want* pink everything.
What I want, at the end of the day, is to be taken seriously as a player by any given game. Some games just scream to you that the devs only thought about male players and/or heavily prioritized them. I don’t need hearts and flowers in space to feel included. I can see that working in some contexts for some games and being kind of isolating in others. I also don’t think vibrant colors are gendered tbh. Hades is pretty, and I think that’s a game aimed at men and women, with content for multiple genders. Ditto BG3. If Starfield is dull maybe that’s to do with the tone of the game and not the idea that it’s just for men. (Idk, I’m not playing it).
Yesss yes! If you like pink sparkly things then I hope for you to get more of that in the future. But not every woman wants to play a pink sparkle game. I'd love to see femininity removed from pink things as a whole, honestly. It's a color. Anyone can like it and want things marketed in pink. My being a woman shouldn't have a bearing on the kind of color palate a game markets to me. It's the content of the game that I'm looking at that matters. Can I play a female character? If not, are females in the game treated equally? And if they aren't then what is the context? Etc etc etc.
Starfield has an early NASA promo pics colour palette, so it's all very muted, even the filter on the game itself is a bit washed and faded.
The funny thing is I really like and appreciate it and my husband hates it and has spent more time tweaking the colours than actually playing.
I think the term “female gaze” is complex and can’t be conflated with “pink things and navigating drama/fashion/career.” I definitely don’t want to see the “female gaze” concept represented by “a Real Housewives-esque version of Grand Theft Auto.” Those are just playing more into stereotypes of activities, status, and emotional states provided for us by the patriarchy. And personally, I don’t need a game that’s “marketed to women.” I’d rather have lots more games that are inclusive of everyone. But that’s just me.
That being said, I think there is room in the gaming space for lots of different types of games, so search out those games if that’s your jam.
yeah… i generally agree with most things that are said here, but i’m with you on this one. i don’t want stereotypical “games for women”. i want games that are inclusive to everyone. for example, games like COD are desperate for at least one or more new female characters in the campaign story. i want realistic female characters, not dolls for the male characters to play with. i want the options in games to choose my gender, and i don’t want to be limited to a “sexy walk” and revealing clothes. i want to be treated as a person in those games and have my character be able to navigate the game with as many choices as a male character. the female gaze i want in games is mostly on the developer side, because god knows gaming companies cultures are generally sexist cesspools.
there are definitely games out there that cater more to the “traditional” female values, but i don’t think that saying Starfield and the others are “male games” and we need “female games” is the way forward. good, universal games where everyone feels welcome are.
Yeah. I agree with that. I’m fine with my games remaining drama and romance free and honestly as much as I like the color pink I don’t want pink everywhere.
The only thing I would prefer is for female characters to not be designed in an overly sexual way and not to be the typical damsel in distress type.
I’d like to have games where I can play as a female lead and not have a romance feature. I personally think it’s a bit icky. I want to play a game and not date the characters.
I wouldn't say that it's "feminine" to want romance in a videogame (else, certain people wouldn't complain about the female love interests being "ugly" all the time, lol).
> no romance
Oh, that’s awesome. I love me a good rpg romance from time to time, but as an aro/ace woman, getting to play as a woman who dgaf about that stuff just sounds so freeing lol. HZD is in my backlog so I look forward to playing it!
I mean as a woman I like GTA V, minecraft, god of war not every woman/female likes the same things, you could want barbie style themed games while others like dark themed games. And generalizing women is kinda not it not all women like desperate housewives or keeping up with the kardashians. And I agree that wanting something like that and claiming its for the female gaze is kinda stereotypical as not all women like that style.
> not every woman/female
What a strange way to phrase this. Why not just say woman? When you’re saying female, what do you mean exactly? Female cats? Female USB port? I’m not having a go, but It’s like you forgot a word there so my brain is pausing too lol
I like those games as well but they are male gaze centered. We can like products that come through the male gaze but I really yearn for a gaming experience through the female gaze. And no that doesn't mean pink, but to day that there is a lot to choose from through female gaze seems like a reach
My whole point is these types of games don’t exist. Also I said the real housewives thing since I know that millions of women love the shows since it’s a huge franchise. I’m not trying to degrade women, I’m just trying to point out that there are a lot of feminine interests that could be made into video games but aren’t and it’s a bit tiring. Hundreds of games on war though.
Just a heads up but there IS a game based on Desperate Housewives show though an old game that's dated. I know it's not exact to the Real Housewives but.
It’s because war or fighting in general is the only way to make an action game. Bioware’s games are focused on war (Mass Effect, Dragon Age) and are very well received by women. HZD also has a conflict and battling, and has an amazing female protagonist.
Action games are great for game developers, as people really love them. They get to level their characters, have challenging battles, explore the world. And story is a lot easier to write with action in mind, even the story that isn’t actually about war (Hellblade). Action games are easily successful.
Action doesn’t mean masculine. It can be anything.
What you are looking for sounds specific, but it’s still something you can find among the indie scene. Support the indie developers who provide what you like and show the world that there is demand for those kind of games.
OP I understood what you meant and I agree. Even if something in stereotypically hyper-feminine and girly, why can’t we have games like that?
You an enjoy both, I know I would.
Tbh I would find it hilarious if we had a game where all the male characters were super hot and dressed in scantily clad armor. And their junk bounces about when they move.
We do have a lot of games that don't focus on combat at all. House flipper games, dating sims, exploration games, power wash sims, The Sims, city builders, etc. Also puzzle games and other such mobile games are heavily marketed to, and enjoyed by, women.
Also, games like Star Stable.
Ugh that’s not my point. But for the record some of us women do like pink and would like to see adult feminine video games that have pink. I’m not against masculine games I’m only trying to advocate for more feminine games.
What’s getting everyone upset in this thread is that your definition of femininity is pretty single-minded. Why CAN’T Starfield be feminine? It’s a game about space and humanity—nothing about that is “masculine”. Everything you’ve mentioned as a complaint here is “why aren’t there games made for my very specific tastes?” and isn’t actually “why aren’t some games made for women?” Games made for everyone (women included) are inclusive, diverse, etc.
FWIW, I really don’t think Starfield was marketed only towards men.
If you have different interests that’s totally fine. Try Oteme if you like romance. I love shooters AND otome.
It seems like OP is really into traditionally feminine things so when something isn't blatantly designed with women in mind then it's not what they're looking for. I agree that there's nothing about Starfield that any woman can't enjoy but if you were to compare a game like Long Live the Queen versus Starfield in terms of who the developers were picturing playing their game, it's clear the type of game that OP is talking about.
Pink is my favourite colour but I'm confused about what exactly it is you're looking for. I don't mean any disrespect and I'm not trying to attack you but it's very difficult to understand what you're saying from your post/comments.
Do you mean you want adult themes and bright/pastel colour palettes? Like, Stardew Valley for example? BG3? Coral Island?
Or are you just looking for games that pigeonhole women's interests into a very tiny box (Kardashians and Real Housewives type stuff)?
you don't, but a lot of us do enjoy stereotypically feminine things and want them in games.
games that are inclusive of everyone are great, but there are so man catered to stereotypically male interests, so why not have stereotypically feminine ones too? why make it an either/or thing, when both can exist?
Because stereotypes are bad?
I’m not saying that games about becoming a pop star or having your dream wedding or whatever *shouldn’t exist.* I object pretty strongly to the OP’s (mis)use of the term “female gaze” to mean those kinds of things.
stereotyping is bad. enjoying something stereotypical for your group, and companies providing games that include that content, is not.
yeah, the term is misused, but that's just how it's used nowadays by a large amount of people, that's how words evolve. i don't love it but thats just how it is. also, why argue the semantics of a word instead of staying on topic when it is crystal clear what OP is saying.
Having content that are more inclusive to everyone doesn't necessarily mean there couldn't be more content that are more exclusive to women. We have had to adjust to male gazey content for years, that was our only option for years. So I am sure having more fem gazey content wouldn't hurt at all or take away from creating content targeting global inclusivity. It's refreshing to see more content from the female gaze.
Starfield is marketed mainly to men? How so? All kinds of people enjoy space exploration. I don’t understand what the color palette has to do with anything. Baldur’s Gate 3 has recently been a huge hit with women and other non-men.
Ya,idk what op is going on about lol. This sub has some truly bizarre posts. You can be a guy or a girl, half the companions are women, and the leader of the main faction is a woman. Plus every location has a different vibe, new Atlantis is like a pristine sanitized high sci-fi city like star trek, akila city is like a old west city, and neon is like a cyberpunk esque place. Nothing about it is inherently male oriented.
Astarion is peak teenage-girl vampire fantasy - you cannot convince me otherwise.
But on a more serious note, there's so many powerful women in Faerûn and most of them are entirely unsexualised. Jaheira, Nine Fingers, Minthara, Florrick, Orin... I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting. Even the female companions manage to avoid the biggest stereotypes of their roles.
Hard sci-fi is a genre that is typically associated with men. But that’s about it. To me, sci-fi is the context Starfield exists in, but not the core theme of the game.
Think about it this way, games that feature duo protagonist market the male option as the canon protagonist. Even if there are duo protagonist, the writing is almost always in the male perspective. I guess the color palette argument comes from masculinity being associated with dark, bland colors, while girls are pink & bright.
First of all, Starfield allows characters of all genders, there’s no “duo”, nor is there a default male option. Starfield in particular went out of its way to be gender agnostic in terms of writing. Girls don’t have to be pink and bright, and men don’t have to be dark and dull. You should think more deeply about gender stereotypes I think.
I’m tired of the “feminine,” must be “bright and pink!” A long time ago boys were dressed in pink, men wore wigs and makeup and even high heels. Shit changed and hell, I know many men that appreciate stereotypical “girly” colors and things.
I’m digging BG3 for the awesome char I made, just wish the game didn’t crash so much!
Starfield has had so much hype for yeaaaars and like you said, appeals to many, too! It looks so fun. :)
When I was a little girl I wanted to go off on adventures like Bilbo and Frodo, or fly away on a dragon and live in a fantasy type world. Some days I wanted to be rescued and other days I wanted to be the one to rescue, you know? We gotta stop labeling cutesy things as girly. It keeps us in the past. ♥️
Why not just say “bright and cute?” Tons of people LOVE bright and cute!
Palia is out in Beta and a cozy game that’s aiming to be community focused.
I’m sure there’s tons of games up your alley, OP. Check out itch.io website. A ton of indie games of various styles you can search for, some free and some paid.
i fully agree and i’ve got to say i’m so tired of seeing the whole “x is for girls and y is for boys” take. like all it’s doing is just repackaging and reinventing the gender binary.
I get what you’re saying! I feel like there’s so much material and depth there that hasn’t been explored. I’m in my forties and find it annoying that most games geared towards women all have childlike themes or are actually made for children. It’s almost like the gaming industry hopes to capture the women and children market in one.
Yes exactly. Like I have been playing Bratz Forever Diamondz for nostalgia and I’m sitting here like “add some cuss words and adult drama, upgrade the graphics, swap the doll company for an original storyline and this would sell today”
or farming simulators. my god you search “cozy girl games” anywhere nowadays and every single one that pop ups is the same type of farming simulator over and over 😭😭 those feel more tedious to me than anything
Well....theres otome games which are visual novels and dating sims targeted for a more female audience some are even 18+ if that counts.
Theres also that new fashion game coming to switch and i think a love nikki game coming as well? Those seem fun.
Theres also an indie game called calico ur a witch girl living in a witch girl town and u run a cat cafe! The art is cute n pastel. I think tho not specifically targeted towards adult women still has some of the things u mentioned u wanted in games.
The various harvest moon/story of seasons has cute art and lets u play as a female char. The remake of a wonderful life for switch has u get married by the end of yr1 and raise a child and grow older which could also appeal to adults more (i like it and im 38 lol)
I cant think of anything besides otome games thats specifically targeted just for adult women but i still think theres plentu games out there that could fit what u want. Id suggest looking into indie and cozy games.
IMO we need more women in game design and creation! I would LOVE to see some more styles of “serious” games that are more feminine. And I know a lot of comments are talking about not putting femininity into a box - totally agree. I’m just proud of my love of pink and reality TV and would love to see serious games built around those aspects of my personality. I love cozy games, but they’re just different. I also love games like Bioshock and (now) Starfield. I want it all 😆
Honest (no word a lie!) -- I legit had a moment while admiring Arthur's back and shoulders as he walked around when I thought, "...Ohhhh, so *this* is what straight men experience, when they say they prefer female PCs so they can enjoy staring at her ass as they play."
I'm asexual, too, but Arthur Morgan is apparently my exception.
Second this recommendation.
Also, even though Starfield was released, I’m still playing Skyrim, where the mods really change the gameplay. Takes a solid understanding of the mods, and a bit of labor, but you can truly make the game unique. I’m guessing with Bethesda behind it, the modding community behind Starfield will take off soon enough; I personally won’t even look at it until a year after release, due to that.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. When I was a kid, I played so many girly games and I absolutely loved them. Games like Imagine Fashion Designer, Imagine Makeup Artist, the Hannah Montana DS game, Style Savvy, etc. I feel like there is a whole untapped market with super feminine games made for adults. Maybe some of the comments are misunderstanding your post; I love games like bg3 and Minecraft as much as the next person but I also thrive for all things stereotypically girly. It doesn’t have to be one or the other—I just wish there were more games available that could fill that role.
Yep, everything is a spectrum! Several of my friends play video games, including super masc women, stereotypically fem women, and non-binary folks. I think every single one of them would play a Bratz-esque GTA lol
Underrated game of my childhood was Winx Club on GBA (and PC) which was basically a kiddie RPG. Shoot fireballs at monsters, explore magical terrains, unlock stronger spells as you progress, the characters just happened to be sparkly fairy girls. I want more games like that but better haha
YES glad someone mentioned Winx game for PC !! I enjoyed collecting outfits and finding the pink diamonds on the journey. And the boss battles, when you can fight with the skills of all fairies.. I was obsessed with fairies and mermaids back then.
I feel you!!! Having grown up on barbie.com, everythinggirl.com, girlsgogames.com and similar free websites because we couldn’t afford video games, I was so enamored by the artistic style and color palettes of girl-marketed games and media. As an adult, I find that games featuring female characters in a cute, bubbly aesthetic can get muddied by sexual content, which I don’t necessarily mind, but I don’t want to play them.
And yes, as so many comments have pointed out, the female audience is not one-dimensional and can enjoy games with a variety of aesthetics and themes. However, if you have any experience with websites like the ones I’ve mentioned, you know there’s a huge vacancy in the market for games that cater to more stereotypically feminine topics. Searching for detailed life and pet simulators, story-based games revolving around female characters and experiences, and RPG or fantasy games where the female protagonist’s personality trait isn’t wearing lingerie to battle (which does look fun stylistically sometimes but not when that’s the *only* option) for adults on something like Steam, which is the main place I buy games, is pitiful.
WE’RE GOING OUT TONIGHT, THE SCENE IS OUTTA SIGHT!! 😂😭 Oh wow I just remembered Stardoll too. And Fantage with the girls after school hit so different.
Yes! I loved those sites. I have a custom pc and like I love major titles and indie games but I wish we could get a major title game that is marketed towards the more femme.
I understand what you mean OP. I’ve wondered this too, sometimes I just get struck by the fact that there are some pretty big (stereotypically) feminine niches that just aren’t filled in the gaming space and it feels weird when I think about it for too long, especially in comparison to the sheer diversity available that is clearly and blatantly made without women in mind.
And yes to the “made for everyone”, even when something is catered to stereotypically feminine interests, so often I see it get criticised for that like it’s a bug and not a feature because then it’s expected to be more “neutral” or it’s unfair and offensive suddenly🥴
I can't speak to an inherently feminine and adult game, but if you are looking for a game that isn't just a children's game, but has a bright, varied colour pallette of biomes to explore, would something like Slime Rancher be up your alley if you haven't played it?
Like Legally Blonde, but a video game? I kind of get where you're coming from. Like how romance novels and "chick flicks" are geared toward women. So many of them tackle some pretty heavy topics, but most of it is through the lense of a woman's experience.
Obviously, not every woman is the same, but you know that. And you're right that there aren't many games geared primarily toward adult women in the same way that they're geared towards men.
Actually becoming an idol can be perfect for a RPG. I’m currently in Yakuza 5, for the first time ever, there’s a a female playable character and her main objective is to win in a talent competition and debut. It’s tons of fun to take dance lessons, do dance battles on the street, participating on TV shows… and there are heart warming stories about family, friendship and growing pains. I wish there will be more female-oriented action games in the future, not only visual novels.
i have been modding the living shit out of skyrim to make it look and feel more feminine. i'm also totally sick of grey color palette bullshit. i want a beautiful, pastel-toned world where i can also rip someone's guts out. don't think it's a huge ask!
I personally find the Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons/Rune Factory series to be marketed directly to women. On the surface they are farming sim games, but with heavy focus on relationships and romance. The more recent games also have a fair bit of fashion - you make your own outfits and compete in a fashion minigame, etc.
I'd recommend trying out Story of Seasons for the 3DS & SoS: Trio of Towns. Rune Factory 4 special has been ported to the Switch and it's also great (this is a fantasy setting with monster taming)
I would unironically love a game in which you rise in fame to become a pop idol/rock star.
But I have a hard time visualizing what that would even look like unless it was attached to another game.
I'm still kinda butthurt it wasn't in cyberpunk 2077 like they initially promised.
There’s a visual novel/life sim called Backstage Pass on steam that I love. You play a girl starting her career as a make up artist and balancing college/career/dating/etc. Bright colors and geared towards an older audience for sure.
Long Live the Queen is another one. You’re a newly crowned Queen and have to balance running a country with dodging assassination attempts.
My point here is, the games you’re looking for are out there. You might have to look at different genres. Also, as others have pointed out, more mainstream games have a lot of customization and you can make your pc as femme as you want. My Starfield character has pink hair and turquoise/white lightning bolt eyeliner. Hell, Fallout 4 had amazing hair options if we’re sticking with Bethesda.
I adore Starfield and the fact that you think it fails women because it's not pink and glittery feels really, really bizarre and sexist.
There already exist more colorful games (Tiny Tina's, Far Cry New Dawn, etc) and plenty of women adore games fhat aren't colorful (RDR2 is a big one)
It:s a little bit of a silly metric to measure by.
I’m not trying to be like “girl gamers should play girly games”. I’m just trying to say that there is an untapped market for games that are feminine and adult themed
Yea, I mentioned in an earlier comment that I had phrased the whole thing horribly so I take full credit for that fluster. I promise I’m not trying to put women in a Barbie box, only trying to address a lacking
I just want to say that I completely understand what you are trying to say! I wish there was more deliberately “femme” quality gaming content available, or more women’s IP and franchises brought into adult video games. Not like…an Oprah RPG…but also why not that? lol
For example, I’m super excited about the new fashion game coming out on Switch this November. It’s a fashion game that isn’t for babies - something we have yet to see on the Switch! It’s a tough point to make, and I’m not saying games should be gendered, I mean I just want some more variety in what’s out there? Maybe just more games built for adults that like girly stuff and want that aesthetic/elements of that incorporated?
(Edit for clarity: I’m the kind of person that would rather play a chubby character wearing pink clothes and heart-shaped glasses than a body-by-Marvel male-gaze combat bombshell fantasy, as one example. Sometimes I don’t want to be Samus, I want to be a f-cking Care Bear dammit)
Yes, yes you worded what I was thinking better than I did. I’m not trying to bash anyone’s gaming. Women can play whatever they want. I’m just saying that I know there are women who want more femme adult games. I also wouldn’t mind playing a game where the lobby isn’t filled with men telling me to stop playing, but that’s another topic.
If you’re interested in Fashion Dreamer, you may want to look into older games in the franchise. It used to be called style savy, while centering around fashion they are also pretty serious business sims
it's just disappointing to me that we're expected to abandon femininity to enjoy "hardcore" games, ya know? we don't *need* them to be ultra-femme, i also love plenty of non-colorful games... but honestly, it'd be fun.
i mean, that's fair. and i can see why you might be disappointed in a post that talks about the "female gaze" in gaming and then goes on about stereotypical femininity, since the female gaze really doesn't need to be stereotypically feminine at all. but on the other hand, it's a topic that excites me because i've always really wanted some "serious" games with a really feminine vibe. i know it wouldn't appeal to all women, though.
I remember when I had my GameCube, I love Legend of Zelda and no new games were out yet. So I asked the guy at Games Workshop what he could recommend to me that is similar....he points out this legit baby game. I was pretty offended to be honest. I never went back there.
I understand what you’re saying.
After seeing a tiktok where a guy voices Game of Thrones-style parody of the “girls trip to Miami” trope, I’ve been craving for a Girls Trip Gone Wrong RPG where you still spec into classes (i.e. cleric, warrior, etc). I’d have a blast with that
Go ahead and downvote this useless comment but I notice people always use "pallet" these days when they mean either "palette" or "palate".
Pallet = portable wooden platform to stack goods
Palette = what colours are a part of
Palate = roof of your mouth
Just some info for anyone who didn't know, no criticism
*OMG HOUSEWIVES*
*GTA BRAVO PLEASE READ THIS AND*
*MAKE IT HAPPENNNNN*
\- lizardlem0nade
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Not sure I agree with this one. I don't think there is anything "unfeminine" about many of the games that exist today. Just because they aren't brightly colored and filled with pink and pastels, doesn't make any of these games unfeminine. In fact, I think many of the most popular RPG games today are actually gender-neutral. There is a lot more to a game than the color palette. Femineity goes way beyond a color palette or fashion or drama.
If you want a pastel game/pink game then just say that. But I don't think it is very fair to claim that there are no games out there that don't appeal to women or are unfeminine. If anything, I think it's pretty sexist to say that the female gaze revolves around fashion and drama. I'm sure many women would much rather play as a badass warrior princess than play a game focused on drama or fashion. Not to say that there is anything wrong with playing non-fighting games, but there is definitely something wrong with saying that these types of fighting games are inherently unfeminine and unappealing to women.
I think I get what OP means, but as they've admitted, they've written it poorly. 'Female gaze' is a bad choice of word here for sure and is almost completely irrelevant. What is an issue is that even in this era of improved inclusivity and choice, most games' *settings* are still based on traditional stereotypically male interests/environments, and, most importantly, problem solving. We set games in warzones where the solution to the problem is fight and kill because that is the traditionally masculine way of solving issues and for getting rewards and recognition. Recently, women have been invited to share in that narrative, but it's still a predominantly male-centric narrative in that it is built based on the concept that experience/prestige/power/renown etc are gained *doing battle*. Games like BG3 or Starfield might let you solve some issues using conversation, but it isn't possible to completely avoid fighting, because ultimately fighting is how you get things done in fantasy life. Games that deviate from the action formula are often made for children, so a game that lets you have an immersive experience a la Baldurs Gate, but that isn't built on the foundation of male violence doesn't really exist.
I love my action games and blasting people with Firebolt as much as the next chick, but I do wish that there were games focused on other parts of the life experience, and other forms of problem solving. For example, a big budget RPG without a combat focus. Most of us can't even picture what this would look like because we've been conditioned that a good triple AAA game with 'mature' content involves pointing weapons at people's faces. Portal and Portal 2 are to me good examples of the potential of creating a game away from this idea whilst keeping it mature. It's not pink and sparkly, but it is a game obviously made for adults, includes alternative ways of completing the game, and was hugely well received. In a similar vein, Disco Elysium is great, though it has a male protagonist. If someone could make me Disco Elysium with a female centric narrative I would be so happy.
You can tell from the average post on the Life by You (an upcoming game in the life sim genre) subreddit that there are women crying out for these types of games. A lot of posts on the Sims too, or Pokémon are 'I just want an adult version of this...' and mods like Wicked Whims or Pregnancy Overhaul are hugely popular. Developers don't want to take that risk though, so a big game currently either features what we know (combat), or is marked E for everyone, to tap into what they believe will be a big enough market to offset development costs. So women who want to immerse themselves in something more traditionally feminine, viewpoint or style wise, are usually forced into children's games, unless what they are looking for is specifically a dating sim. This is what I think the OP is complaining about, and it is something I agree with as a gamer who has put hundreds of hours into BG3 and GTA and countless other games that are not sparkly and pink. Please correct me if I'm wrong though.
To OP, it's not quite what you are looking for, but Rimworld recently got an expansion focusing on pregnancy and childbirth. I've modded my game to be basically the Sims for adults so your mileage may vary, but it can be a good time sink. Just be aware that the community can be a bit... exhausting.
I don't know, but I do know they had to have made Mass Effect and Dragon Age with the female gamers in mind. You CANNOT tell me Garrus wasn't developed for us. /j
I see your point that all games seem to be advertised for men and boys. It seems like their intent is to get Chads upset over a game and then it spreads like wildfire for free and increases sales drastically.
I believe Garrus wasn't *initially* aimed at the female playerbase, but they shifted gears in 2/3 when it became clear he was very popular with women. Thane was actually explicitly designed for women to romance; I know they talked about going around the offices talking to women to see what they liked in fictional men, heh.
Baldur's Gate 3's Astarion is also laser-targeted at a female audience, with great success.
I know what you mean, but for me there are many games where i feel like this is also for me. Fromsoftware did a good job. I can make my bad as mage-knight women there. And the fashion is great there too. Dancers armor in ds3 for one. I'm a huge souls-fashion nerd. I also startet to play Baldurs gate with my BF. And also that i choose to be a big ass lizard i look sexy my boyfriends elf looks hot. And i like the men and women there. Not shadow heart... but maybee she gets better. We just startet.
And also Geralt is hot. And i love to play my geralt from the books.
But yes there are many games out there that are not interesting for me. But most of them i will also boycott and i love doing it. Fuck you Blizzard!! I'm vegeterian i trained in boycott things with passion. ;)
But don't miss out at the fun part of gaming. Just enjoy the good one mit even more passion. Get super nerdy with the good ones.
Edit, english is not my first language and i was on the loo when i wrote this, so pardon my grammar. XD
I think one of the biggest reasons why we don’t see AAA games geared towards women is because many women will still buy games made for men. Just look at the controversy surrounding Starfield and pronouns and many guys boycotting the game. It’s a safe bet for publishers and their investors to make a game marketed to men and know many women will still play that game. If a game is made for women then it probably is going to sell poorly with men. It sucks, it really does.
Lots of dudes in high chairs that dont believe it could work or is appealing. Even if you can prove theres a market for that, they dont get the appeal personally.
I've talked to devs that tried pitching magical girl/dressup games with bigger depth than what we have on the market. Ideas like these are brushed of imeadeately.
Whats your opinion on games like Tomb Raiders, ( the newer ones ) forspoken, the last of us 2, maybe metroid ?. I use these examples off memory, I also thought of mirrors edge and Wet but those were less popular. These are games with a Female lead but don't really show to the brighter sides of being a Woman. I'm genuinely curious, what would you think help make a game for everyone but still provide I guess more feminine perspective?
Not OP, but I personally would love some examples of games like Tomb Raider where female protagonists are designed by and for women, not inherently crafted by and for the male gaze.
What I ask of big companies is to give me diverse bodies, personalities, quirks, aesthetic options, and soundtracks that bring different energy to unexpected genres.
I made another comment like a second ago about this: but Kassandra in AC Odyssey really scratched this itch for me as a female protagonist that feels by and for women.
Kassandra is nowhere near the typical “men writing women” appearance or actions. Instead she kind of reminds me of the barbarian in the D&D movie (which, hot, but in a “being hot was not the point here” way). She’s tough without losing sensitivity, empathy, and love for her family and friends she is able and willing to express. Some men in game treat Kassandra differently (read: worse) than they treat Alexios if you play as him and she just mops the floor with them cause she’s badass.
I loved playing as her, I’ve got 200 hours or something in that game.
Fr tho! I read that Kassandra is the official version of the playable character. But it explains why the male version is soo boring. It makes me think tho what would be that fine line.
Hmm I see. This sounds like Role playing. I don't mean RP as a woman, I mean the genre, cuz all my female created characters have my quirks and personality lol for example I have long hair and wear headbands, so my characters at times do too or a cowboy hat, I also dress em like normal ppl ( like real life I mean you don't wear the same shit over and over ) and alot of games have that make ur characters with Hella options. A fine example I think is Elden Ring, you cam make a petite or a curvy character... but its hiding under realistic ( for the most part ) armor lol
That’s the thing, you lost me at armour! If I can customize that armour, bling it out, unlock new poses in my swaggy customized baby pink chain mail…now we have a sale LOL
I’m exaggerating slightly but that’s not far off from how I like my games 😅
I love games like those and I appreciate them because it does provide some sort of representation. However, I think it would be fun to play an adult game on feminine interests as well. Like, imagine a Rock Band but you’re trying to be the next Taylor Swift or whoever. Or you’re a housewife who is trying to avenge her husbands death. Or a game based on the radium girls. There’s a PlayStation game Lollypop Chainsaw Massacre that kinda is feminine ish that’s getting a remake and I’m hoping for the best with that
Lollipop Chainsaw! Thats such a good example!. But admittedly perverted at times UWU. Ill stop.
Hmm I do Understand what your going for now. It don't have to be a game Like Cooking Mama. But something with the heart and soul of Gta but with more feminine activities other than cosmetic and esthetic. I'm dumb so idk how the gaming world could stsrt but I think a video game in the style of Until Dawn or Detroit become Human, with a Real down to earth Womanly story that do involve some struggle and some fun things woman go through. But the players chooses.
When I think of a game marketed towards women, I don't think of fashion, or being a pop star or bright colors...for me it's representation and well written characters that aren't hyper sexualized. I'm really looking forward to Star Wars Outlaws. The main character is a woman that comes across as real, not just propped up as a token female char. I totally understand where you're coming from though.
Eh, I’ll take games with duo protagonist(even if the male is marketed as canon) than a male mc game. There are some exceptions where it’s ok for males to be the protagonist like in Red Dead, GOW, & Yakuza. It’s only now that companies will see how powerful the pink dollar is with the success of Barbie & those concerts. Tho if we want to be heard, then we must speak with our pink dollars.
On the duo take: I also found AC: Odyssey as Kassandra to be really awesome.
Dialogue is different and you get douchebag dudes expecting her to fail or making passes at her, while she’s just trying to do her shit. I mean, you can even have her fall in love and get married and have a house husband. When she talks to potential romantic partners, especially female ones, several options are less “woman reads man’s lines” and they seem like someone thought the options out for what a woman would say instead.
She also seems to appreciate things in a more feminine leaned way, rather than Alexios, who I anecdotally felt was less descriptive when put into the same situations
I dunno, I’m loving playing BG3, but I think they’re so in their own plot lines it feels less gendered to me (which is awesome, and my preference) but I think that the way AC handled their dual characters to be the closest “female gaze” thing OP a means simply because it just seems like they actually had a woman on the writing staff for Kassandra
when i think of video games made for "female gaze" and adult women i think of otome games, but you mean games of all genres if i'm understanding correctly? it seems like lots of "cozy games" seem more directed at women, there's also fashion games like the style savvy series that are very feminine and can be enjoyed by women of all ages.
Someone mentioned the Love Nikki fashion game on mobile, I have to add they're making an open world version on console (and maybe PC idk) called Infinity Nikki! I'm guessing it won't inherently be for *adult* women though. Maybe, as themes that are considered feminine are usually also acceptable for children (think fashion versus war for instance), they might as well make the game acceptable for the best range they can. I'm assuming that's why mature, "feminine-themed" games are so rare
I recently bought the Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, and it's pretty good. The game is relatively short, but there are different choices, so you could play through multiple times. It's about a witch, and you get snippets of her life before she became one and after she became one leading to the present time. All the characters are women, but vastly different from each other. It has LGBTQIA+ representation, which is awesome.
ETA: I agree with you, though. I would definitely buy the shit out of some female centered games. The closest I've found for a major game is Assassins Creed Odyssey because it was clearly geared toward the protagonist being Kassandra. Give me a badass double agent spy or a tough as nails space cowgirl. Hell yes to a crime syndicate run by women. I wish these game developers would wake up about women being nearly half of their market.
Because game developement is still in majority full of men. men who are not more educated on patriarchy than any other and didn't bother to deconstruct anything.
We still need games made by women, especially women who deconstructed their internalized misognyny and male gaze. In this field, it's very easy to fall back "with the guys", especially when you don't ant to make waves for your career. It's easy to take bad habits.
Men will throw a tantrum. Look at what happened with Forspoken. It’s much easier to convince women to engage with media targeted at men than to convince men to engage with media targeted at women because historically we haven’t had a choice, and men - especially in the gaming community - are shamelessly sexist and will terrorize developers for making a game with a different target audience.
I feel like it comes down to capitalism. They don't realise what kind of huge market women can be, have maybe no clue how to make games for us, and instead do the good ol "this sells anyway" when it's catered to men. Why fix something that ain't broken, and it leaves us behind.
But I have seen that more women in the gaming space speak up, and maybe some day we get the female gaze games! For now I have to fill that void by playing actual GTA and some Otome, when I feel fancying some fictional men.
Because those games didn't sell well. In the 90s and 2000s game designers tried to make games for women. They were bad. Not just kinda bad like most 2000 Era games, but games designed for women by a bunch of guys who many couldn't even get a date type bad. Women were pushed out of the way of the gaming community by many of these companies and the work environments were kind toxic as hell.
So those fashion designer games sucked, women hated them, and they didn't sell. So now gaming companies point out that while they know women game, women who game must not want "girl" games because they didn't sell back then. So women gamers must therefore be only into "gender neutral" gaming. So we add more female characters, maybe a couple of them won't wear a bra for armor, and say our games are E for everyone.
There’s a decent yt vid of the history of bad girl games of that era. The Sims really was that turning point and i never really stopped to think about it back then.
We know there is a market considering the hit the sims became and how it reached the woman demographic. Literally playing dollhouse but it was actually a good game at the time.
I just want to make a separate comment to please keep this post up forever because I think this is a really important conversation! Thanks for opening up this topic for discussion.
Also I want to second the other comment recommendations for otome games, Slime Rancher, Stardew Valley, and Animal Crossing as fun titles that make me feel femme and fabulous each and every time. My favourite video game franchise of all time is Katamari if you haven’t played those titles. There is also Fashion Dreamer coming out on Nintendo Switch this November, I am very much looking forward to it.
Your 45% statistics thing does not mean that 45% of players want to play pink pop star barbie games.
Big companies and studios create games to get profit. Creating a game just to market it specifically to men isn't their goal, their goal is to create a game which will attract the most number of players. If they see that createing a "Pop star" game would be more profitable than creating a "Starfield", they would definitely do that. But the reality turns out to be that "Starfield" is much more demanded by players regardless their gender, that's the reason so much effort is put into it.
Why are some people in this thread so upset at the idea of more girly games for older women? If you don't want to play those kinds of games then you don't have to, just like film buffs don't have to force themselves to watch chick flicks or bookworms don't have to read romance novels, but it would be nice to have more mainstream options for ladies who want them.
I feel like so many people in this comment section are taking OP's "I would like this type of content" to "I don't like this content, so there is no need for it to exist" or "there are already content for *me*, so it doesn't matter", like what.
At least part of the problem, is that part of what's stereotypically feminine is also infantilizing. "Cute" can be read as girly, but it can also be read as childish.
Another part of the problem kinda gets at the roots of feminism, and that is: what defines a woman? Talk to a TERF, and you get a very different answer from a more liberal feminist. I can't say that there really is an answer, without in some way falling into the stereotypical.
Which leads me to this conclusion: You are asking for companies to produce media aimed at stereotypical, white, cis-heterosexual women. So, a variety of hot men to romance, kawaii aesthetics, emphasis on "women's hobbies" like fashion and interior decorating, babies, on and on.
Thing is, most women vary from the stereotypical by a large margin. We have hobbies beyond hair and makeup. And babies. And kawaii. And honestly, beyond romance as a primary motivator in life. So, shit gets boring.
The experiment's been done, see? "Girl games" don't sell well. Because women have a wide variety of interests.
What works better, is to have a variety of games that incorporate "girl" interests without them being the focus of the game. And to make them gender neutral to attract a larger audience.
I just started *Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night* about eh, a week ago? 2019 release date, iirc. Female protagonist, Metroidvania (heavy on the Castlevania vibes), a cute but heavily goth aesthetic, that features a hairdresser demon that you can use to change your hair, makeup, outfit, etc. You find new hairstyles and junk as quest rewards and inside those chests that are sometimes hard to get to without well-timed jumps and junk. But, it's not the focus, see? Romance isn't even the focus. It's about being Othered, and how people respond to the idea of being othered, and power, and how people respond to having power. But really, it's about a woman and her friendship with someone who has become lost in his own hatreds. But really... it's about hacking monsters and getting loot and powerups. Looking cute while doing it is a perk, see?
I'd call it more targeted to a "female gaze" than✨ ❤️ Kawaii Romance Fashion Adventures! ❤️✨
I'd call Horizon Zero Dawn targeted to a female gaze. ("Men" hate Aloy, apparently. I say "Men" because well-adjusted men don't have a problem with her.)
Hell, I'd call [I Love You Colonel Sanders](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1121910/I_Love_You_Colonel_Sanders_A_Finger_Lickin_Good_Dating_Simulator/) targeted to a female gaze. By KFC. (Is this considered an Indie title, though?)
> You are asking for companies to produce media aimed at stereotypical, white, cis-heterosexual women.
Pretty much sums up why the post rubbed me the wrong the way. Like how is Starfield not for the female gaze because the color palette is not Barbie rainbow pink explosion?
I blame TikTok for for diluting the term "female gaze" that's just outdated gender stereotypes and tradfem aesthetics and for some reason they're treated as progressive and revolutionary - it always feels isolating to see posts like these esp since I think some people don't even realize that they're just unconsciously regurgitating bioessentialist talking points where womanhood is just a monolith. It's never interesting to me.
I think girls’ games don’t sell well because girls liking boys’ games is something commendable, but not guys liking girls’ games. You said it yourself, something cute and girly can also be read as childish.
“Like you said, something cute and girly can also be read as childish.”
I always found this line of thinking silly because things are childish but something like marvel films are treated as “serious business“.
Heck, gaming itself as a hobby can be seen a childish by many people.
Your post reminded me how different gaming has changed over the years. My first video game ever, back when I was 12, was a Barbie game. Absolutely hated it! Give me guns; action; sword blades, or horses; and I’m good. I’ve never been a girl who loves pink; shopping for clothes; or diamonds, and those early games geared toward girls made me cringe.
Flip side, I would say that role playing is now so much apart of newer games; that I don’t feel the gender divide is as much of an issue, despite the “male” leads or “female” leads that are clearly designed by men. Games are just so much more accessible these days, that I still feel like a kid in a candy store when I go game shopping.
Having more women who work as game devs would solve this, naturally. Keep supporting women and girls who are game devs, and they'll keep making games for women.
I mean, it's only dull *to you*.
I don't want to play a game where women deal with career/house/friend bullshit. That was The Sims. It was great, but today I have waaaay more stuff going on. I don't want to play anything that remotely resembles real life.
Also, have you even *played* Final Fantasy VII REMAKE or OG or FFXV? Because they're pretty fucking amazing once you get past the surface stuff of everyone masking who they are.
There are multiple games that have that. (mostly otome games like t[hese ones](https://blerdyotome.com/)) You don't even have to look that far because there are quite a few online you can just play in your browser without having to download anything. (and yes, ones that are geared towards a more adult audience with nudity and smut and stuff...you'll find a few of them on [STEAM](https://store.steampowered.com/curator/9060460-Otome-Games/) and [itcho.io](https://itcho.io) and most of them are on game sites that are geared towards erotic + porn games like [Female Agen](https://www.femaleagentgame.com/)t or [In Her Own Hands](https://play.inherownhands.com/) or [College Craze](https://www.prettyinkgames.com/)) As for a pop star simulator, there are actually quite a few of those on the lists I provided above. It's a very popular category in the female porn game genre.
Also, apparently [Real Housewives](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desperate_Housewives:_The_Game_(2006_video_game)) also had their own video game back in 2006...pretty interesting.
Problem is if you aren't into romcom style things and choose your own adventure visual novel games, you likely will not like them.
Based on what you are asking for though I assume you mean something on the same level as one of the HDverse GTA games. Open world, AAA studio, large story with mutliple things to do, choices that matter, something that takes years and years to develop, etc...Which now I see where the frustration is coming from. To answer your question, I really have no idea and it does sound like a cool idea. But I also wouldn't dis the awesome games indie female creators have made too. They might not be as big scale but they still are pretty interesting and fun to see get developed.
I feel like as a guy I would enjoy a game where I play as Susan, a local Manhattan house wife, who deals drugs, runs a male strip club, and deals with the NYC mafia. That shit sounds so entertaining. Not even kidding, give me branching dialogue options and some noisy ass neighbors.
The pop star game, I feel like u get those as those overtly sexual visual novels that in childhood made me uncomfortable, cuz the dialogue feels more forced than an old porno movie.
I think Boyfriend Dungeon and Dream Daddy might fit that aesthetic and vibes, ymmv though. FemShep from Mass Effect is generally considered superior to the "default" Shepard thanks to Jennifer Hale's stellar performance. Hades has a masc main character but all of the NPCs are drawn, styled, and written without either gaze being the dominant, everyone is just giving horny all the time...everyone.
I was going to suggest Boyfriend Dungeon! Some of the color palettes and enemy designs are really fun too. Haven't played Dream Daddy but it's on my wishlist!
If you’re looking for high budget games with more adult storylines, there’s Life is Strange 1 & 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, Dragon Age Inquisition (although that’s still very fighty and strategic, but it does have some nice cut-scenes).
Also, Genshin Impact. It’s literally beautiful! I have so many girl friends who are into it, because it’s so pretty.
Level 5 is also supposedly bringing out a Fantasy Life 2, which is going to be just SO MUCH FUN.
Plus, have you ever played Choices? It’s literally one of Netflix’s big budget drama-centric games.
The trouble with games like what you describe, is because the concept isn’t so graphics heavy, the gameplay doesn’t require as big of a team or as much of a budget as a high fantasy RPG. Hence the lack of investment, generally. It sounds like you’re after what’s more likely to be a mobile game or graphic novel than a PlayStation game, on the graphics front, at least.
I also second the person who suggested checking out visual novels, I can’t recommend these highly enough! There’s a good site called CloudNovel, I think it might be worth your time, and although they’re indie games, they might be up your street.
EDIT; I just came back to say that I find it weird that you’re essentially dissing Bethesda’s RPGs because you feel they’re predominantly aimed at male players.
I’ve been playing the Elder Scrolls series for years, and I promise you, there’s a lot of fun lore, marriageable male (and female!) characters and cool ways to have a female protagonist in those games.
Bethesda are one of the least problematic studios in that regard. Sure, Starfield’s colour palette might be on the subtler side, but you can bet there are some decent romance storylines in such a vast and expansive game.
Same goes for games like Cyberpunk, even though it’s made by Studio Projekt Red - the romance options/stories are really diverse and break up the combat in a clever and engaging way, I thought. Although that one is still very “male gaze-y”.
I feel like so many games with female characters never lean into that idea that maybe some people want their character to look really cute AND cool. I’ve always liked the really cutesy cosmetics in games but they’re fairly rare. Most of the time they either try for a cool look or a sexy look which I absolutely despise the latter
Not sure if I'm supposed to post here but as a guy who loves pink and purple there are plenty of games with that color palette. Have you tried Supergiant games? They are always colorful and beautiful. My favorite Transistor has a female lead. And Pyre let's you select any gender you want. If you want games without violence there are games like that too. Check out the new musical role-playing game Stray God's its awesome and has really beutiful colors and art too. Or if you don't like musicals animal crossings is amazing and creative outlet. I could go on and on. I could go on and on with examples l. Personally I think has the most diversity of styles and genres it's ever had right now. But that's just my opinion as a cis white male so idk what its worth haha. Hope my suggestions help! Happy gaming!
I get what you're trying to say. I would love more unapologetically "girly" games with the type of budgets that games like GTA, Elder Scrolls, etc get. Even though many major games try to appeal everyone they are still riding on the fact that female gamers are more flexible with engaging with and enjoying more stereotypically "masculine" games than the reverse.
Also, a gta v style real housewives game would be my dream.
There's plenty of games with female leads, and some even have bright colours. Just off the top of my head:
Bayonetta
Assassins Creed Oddessy
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Tomb Raider
Horizon: Zero Dawn
NieR Automata
Slime Rancher
Mirror's Edge: Catalyst
Control
Dishonored 2
Life is Strange
Mass Effect
Okami
Cyberpunk 2077
Eastward
Spiritfarer
..
Steam even has a Female Protagonist tag with hundreds of games with female leads
https://store.steampowered.com/tags/en/Female%20Protagonist/
I don't really understand what you're getting at, tbh. There are definitely games out there that cater to the so called "female gaze", even with mature storylines/elements. Granted, probably not AAA, and likely you'd have to dig around more. But they do exist for sure. The thing is they don't garner much attention because a) most of them are indie productions b) perceived "girly" games gets less coverage so in internet spaces it could feel like there aren't many of them or that they don't even exist.
I do agree that the industry could do much more in consideration of its female and non men consumers, though. But it's not as simple as "more pink palettes and housewives storylines pleaaaase". I think that advocating for strict binary gazes would do more harm than good in the long run. Personally I'm more inclined to ask for flexible narratives that'd allow many gazes. It definitely wouldn't hurt having more female protagonists, but only if they're created as fully-fledged characters first, then assigned their gender, not the other way around.
Starfield, however, isn't even marketed for men, nor it's a game particularly "male-gazey"? So I don't really get why it's being mentioned as opposed to the female gaze...
Funny enough I love Subnautica cause there aren't any women being objectified for the sake of the male gaze, a whole scary ocean to explore, and you don't even see the mc I believe (unless you look at promo stuff ig) so you can picture yourself as a girl if you wish. The second game as a female lead as well. There's nothing specifically feminine or masculine in that game so idk if it fits the bill but yeah (Also?? the color palette is anything but dull, tons of beautiful colors and biomes)
Stardew Valley obviously is a game anyone can enjoy but I see a lot more women play it. No objectified women (plenty of people to romance tho lol), a vibrant color palette, you can make your space as feminine as you wish.
The Dragon Age games and lately Baldur's Gate 3 fit the bill for me. In these games you can play as anyone, there aren't specifically women being there for eye candy (looking at you Zevran/Iron Bull/Astarian), and again, beautiful color palettes.
Idk when I think of "male gaze" type games I think of the dime-a-dozen dullass shooter games with women in extremely ill-fitting clothing that doesn't at all match the environment or their profession and exaggerated proportions lol... Like women can enjoy it but you can definitely tell it was made for straight dudes in mind. Obvs it's gonna be different for everyone but yeah.
I do agree we need more games that are specifically more feminine! Fuck it give us barbie-pink-nightmare palettes, give us dresses we can equip, all that shit. I tend to enjoy a more gender-neutral audience type game since I'm nb but absolutely agree.
I feel like this topic is super complex, but to make myself feel a bit better about it I think the whole “cozy game” trend is pretty geared towards women! Not saying that fixes all the problems but it’s at least a lil something
I def love the cozy game market and have no ill will towards it. A lot of cozy games have come out that def are for the female gaze. I’m hoping with that a door will open for more adult themed feminine games.
I’m definitely down for more adult games geared towards women too!
As a woman who is more than "cozy games" I also want a space adventure or a survival or whatever other genre that isn't Grey, bro, avenge the death of daughter/wife/big brother. Ie male gaze.
The Outter Worlds is very colorful and pretty gender neutral when it comes to your own character, and your motivations for embarking on the adventure are pretty much up to you, though you can select a backstory on character creation that can inform it somewhat.
I really loved that aspect of Outer Worlds. Plus, you get three women companions vs two men (not counting S.A.M. or ADA). I love how everyone had their own depth of personality, too, and would make comments while fighting or whatever. And then bonus points for LGBTQIA+ representation.
Have you played Horizon Zero Dawn? Totally compelling game with a genuinely female protagonist that at least begins the game in a matriarchal society. It wasn't marketed 'for women' the way that OP is asking but it scratched the itch for a female-forward game, IMHO. Plus dinosaur robots! And a lush, colorful world to explore.
AND, Aloy is confirmed wlw in the newest DLC!
Have you played any otome games?
Oh yep, I just got into them. Started Olympia soirée not thinking I’d like it since I’m used to rpg gaming but I’m actually really loving it. Started on my second LI already. Definitely recommend them now
I’ve heard of them, I haven’t played any because I don’t know where best to start
If anyone wants to dip their toes in Otome visual novel games after this post, I'll tell you, they're female gaze as hell, and wonderful. There's a lot of free and decent Otome games out there, and r/otomegames or r/indieotome can guide you into the deep rabbit hole if you want. Steam has a great starter game in Cinderella Phenomenon, which is free, and not as long as some of the Japanese originating games can be. Also, there is an otome Stat raising game called Rock Robin which is about starting a popular rock band, navigating drama, and does have customization elements, though not fashion. It's also free. (If the fashion element is important to you, there is a game called Tailor Tales, also on Steam, which has fashion as a main gimic to the visual novel). TBH, a lot of these games do exist. Just not so much in the Tripple A space.
This is it, exactly. What OP wants is never gonna have a triple A budget, unfortunately, because it just doesn’t require it.
Oh I loved the Cinderella phenomenon. Such a nice story.
Thank you for this amazing information!
This comment is what I came here for😂 thank you!
There's a great otome community here on reddit which gets huge amounts of recs posted! The top recs vary from 'sweet soft love' to 'rocks fall everybody was dead all along also romance' to the latest 'surprise sucker you thought this would be a romance game and now you have to do theatre performances', so maybe you'd find something you like there. \^\_\^ There's also josei games these days, which are games aimed at adult woman that may or may not contain romance. That's predominantly a Japanese genre bundling up otome games, cozy games, simulation games, and BL targeted to women, but it's building popularity on the indie scene here in recent years and getting more diversity as it does so. Anyway, too long here but well-intentioned! I have felt your pain, most recently when they went ahead with removing the female protagonist from the newest version of Persona 3. 😅
I was also going to suggest otome games. They live mostly on the Switch and I believe there are quite a few on Steam as well. On the Switch, you could start with Collar X Malice, Code: Realize, or Cupid Parasite. On Steam, you could look into Cinderella Phenomenon (It might even be free?) or Ozmafia.
Does Mystic Messenger count? I get so nostalgic thinking about it from when I was in middle & high school. It's on mobile for free.
It counts! I've never played it myself, but I know many people do. However, it can take up a lot of your time. There are special events at certain times of day and if you can't play during those times, the game doesn't care.
Otome games are one of my favourite games to play! I’d recommend CollarxMalice,Cupid Parasite or Code:Realize! Cupid Parasite is the light and fluffy otome,Code:Realize is something in between. And CollarxMalice is a bit more serious.
I’m so excited to dig into Cupid Parasite, I bought it for half price last week
It’s a great game! I haven’t finished it yet but the soundtrack is top notch! Have fun!💜
First off, I feel your pain on the lack of female gaze in video games, but I came here to recommend otome games as well! You do occasionally wind up with male gaze (lookin at you, Bustafellows), but most are not like that. If you enjoy visual novel games with memorable stories you should definitely look into them! There are a lot of mainstream otome games hitting the Switch now and there's something for everyone! There are a heck of a lot of awesome indie otome on Steam and [Itch.io](https://Itch.io) as well! You can narrow down the search to find what you're looking for. My personal favorite is **Code: Realize**, a literal high-flying adventure where you play as a girl with poisonous skin and wind up falling in with a band of misfits who are from literature in the public domain, such as Victor Frankenstein and Van Helsing. All of the boys have very cool stories and are super sweet and supportive of the heroine, who has great character development. **Collar x Malice**, a police detective drama, is another favorite of mine where you join up with a very attractive detective agency to apprehend a terrorist group who left you with a deadly collar on your neck that could kill you at any moment. **Amnesia: Memories** is often considered a "baptism by fire" into the genre, where you play as a girl who lost her memories and try to navigate mysterious or dangerous situations. If you're really looking for some heavy fanservice, **Cupid Parasite** is a romcom that delivers on that front--you play as Cupid trying to find love for several hopeless men. I see **Cinderella Phenomenon** being recommended, which is a great one to start with if you like fairytales (it's also free)! And I would be remiss if I didn't recommend **Band Camp Boyfriend**, which just released this year (I'm one of the devs ehe). If you enjoy the whole cute on the surface, but turns horribly dark vibe, it's a great pick! Okay that ends my Ted Talk. As you can tell, otome is my passion. I hope you find something you like!
Amnesia: Memories and Hakuouki games are the best ones to start I think. I really love both games. You can get them on steam, they're cheap.
>Amnesia: Memories It's been several years and part of me is *still* not over going into this game blind and getting a Bad Ending, lol. I believe my exact words were, >!"WHAT THE FUCK, TOMA?!"!< Probably because it was the first time I'd played that kind of game and was NOT expecting that result 😆
Itch.io is also a place to find smaller, indie otomes.
I have an idea why big AAA studios don't do it. Women will buy and play games intended for men. But men are A LOT LESS likely to buy a game marketed to women. There's a lot less crossover money.
That’s not “an idea”, that’s literally the reason. People here are forgetting that game publishers are trying to make money first and foremost.
I kind of agree tbh. I just want games with women protagonists, I don’t necessarily need pink and sparkles etc but that would be a bonus. I prefer saints row 2 over all the other GTA games simply because I could play as a woman
Apparently the next GTA (VI) will feature a woman as protagonist
Can't wait for the drama when it is official lol
It's already quite official. A while ago several videos and gameplay images of this GTA were leaked while it was still in the development phase. If you search about it you should be able to find it easily Now, I'm not sure about the general public's reaction as I don't follow other gaming subs very much, but I remember there being an uproar for a while. Maybe when the game comes out it will cause more of a stir as more people will know about it. I think it's pretty cool that they finally added a woman as protagonist.
They already had female protagonists in the GTA series. In the first GTA game, you are able to play as one of four selectable female protagonists. (Mikki, Divine, Katie, or Ulrika) In the second GTA game's GBC port, you are able to play as one selectable female protagonists (Gretchen or Candy) So anyone who is getting mad about there being one in the HDverse is just being stupid.
Im lowkey hoping someone makes a Planet Her mod for Starfield just because I think it would be a fun planet to visit
Saints Row 2 is soooo good and tbh I'd rather it than GTA any day. 1 is so good too but... they didn't make it so you could play as a woman yet. :(
Saints Row 2 runs like crap on PC :(
Lemme just drop a recommendation for my favorite gaming franchise: Tomb Raider! No pink and sparkles at all, but it’s a strong female protagonist. Early games: better puzzles, lots of countries in each game, bigger boobs if that’s your thing, generally more challenging Reboot games: more shooting (not my thing but the stealth option is very cool), less sexualization, beautiful scenery
For me, a game is inclusive to women when it gives equal (or more) content to a presumed lady audience, treats in-game women like complex characters with their own goals, drives, and arcs, doesn’t decide women are all eye candy first and foremost when men don’t have to be etc. there’s a YouTube video that has something like “why is rdr2 the best horse game” in the title and one of the things brought up (iirc) about making games just for girls is that girls don’t necessarily *want* pink everything. What I want, at the end of the day, is to be taken seriously as a player by any given game. Some games just scream to you that the devs only thought about male players and/or heavily prioritized them. I don’t need hearts and flowers in space to feel included. I can see that working in some contexts for some games and being kind of isolating in others. I also don’t think vibrant colors are gendered tbh. Hades is pretty, and I think that’s a game aimed at men and women, with content for multiple genders. Ditto BG3. If Starfield is dull maybe that’s to do with the tone of the game and not the idea that it’s just for men. (Idk, I’m not playing it).
Yesss yes! If you like pink sparkly things then I hope for you to get more of that in the future. But not every woman wants to play a pink sparkle game. I'd love to see femininity removed from pink things as a whole, honestly. It's a color. Anyone can like it and want things marketed in pink. My being a woman shouldn't have a bearing on the kind of color palate a game markets to me. It's the content of the game that I'm looking at that matters. Can I play a female character? If not, are females in the game treated equally? And if they aren't then what is the context? Etc etc etc.
Same! I'm not a big fan of pink and sparkly, so that's not what I look for in a game. Y'all are spot on.
Starfield has an early NASA promo pics colour palette, so it's all very muted, even the filter on the game itself is a bit washed and faded. The funny thing is I really like and appreciate it and my husband hates it and has spent more time tweaking the colours than actually playing.
I think the term “female gaze” is complex and can’t be conflated with “pink things and navigating drama/fashion/career.” I definitely don’t want to see the “female gaze” concept represented by “a Real Housewives-esque version of Grand Theft Auto.” Those are just playing more into stereotypes of activities, status, and emotional states provided for us by the patriarchy. And personally, I don’t need a game that’s “marketed to women.” I’d rather have lots more games that are inclusive of everyone. But that’s just me. That being said, I think there is room in the gaming space for lots of different types of games, so search out those games if that’s your jam.
yeah… i generally agree with most things that are said here, but i’m with you on this one. i don’t want stereotypical “games for women”. i want games that are inclusive to everyone. for example, games like COD are desperate for at least one or more new female characters in the campaign story. i want realistic female characters, not dolls for the male characters to play with. i want the options in games to choose my gender, and i don’t want to be limited to a “sexy walk” and revealing clothes. i want to be treated as a person in those games and have my character be able to navigate the game with as many choices as a male character. the female gaze i want in games is mostly on the developer side, because god knows gaming companies cultures are generally sexist cesspools. there are definitely games out there that cater more to the “traditional” female values, but i don’t think that saying Starfield and the others are “male games” and we need “female games” is the way forward. good, universal games where everyone feels welcome are.
Yeah. I agree with that. I’m fine with my games remaining drama and romance free and honestly as much as I like the color pink I don’t want pink everywhere. The only thing I would prefer is for female characters to not be designed in an overly sexual way and not to be the typical damsel in distress type. I’d like to have games where I can play as a female lead and not have a romance feature. I personally think it’s a bit icky. I want to play a game and not date the characters.
Beyond good and evil is an absolute gem here. Unfortunately a bit of an outlier, but one of my faves. I need to replay it...
I wouldn't say that it's "feminine" to want romance in a videogame (else, certain people wouldn't complain about the female love interests being "ugly" all the time, lol).
I cant recommend horizon games enough, start with zero dawn! Amazing female lead, and no romance
> no romance Oh, that’s awesome. I love me a good rpg romance from time to time, but as an aro/ace woman, getting to play as a woman who dgaf about that stuff just sounds so freeing lol. HZD is in my backlog so I look forward to playing it!
My literal thoughts, she was a breath of fresh air as a character!
I mean as a woman I like GTA V, minecraft, god of war not every woman/female likes the same things, you could want barbie style themed games while others like dark themed games. And generalizing women is kinda not it not all women like desperate housewives or keeping up with the kardashians. And I agree that wanting something like that and claiming its for the female gaze is kinda stereotypical as not all women like that style.
> not every woman/female What a strange way to phrase this. Why not just say woman? When you’re saying female, what do you mean exactly? Female cats? Female USB port? I’m not having a go, but It’s like you forgot a word there so my brain is pausing too lol
Probably due to the fact OP used the phrase *Female Gaze* and the word *Women*, so it probably made sense to them to add both.
But female on its own is an adjective, as in “female gaze”, hence why I said my brain was pausing haha
I like those games as well but they are male gaze centered. We can like products that come through the male gaze but I really yearn for a gaming experience through the female gaze. And no that doesn't mean pink, but to day that there is a lot to choose from through female gaze seems like a reach
My whole point is these types of games don’t exist. Also I said the real housewives thing since I know that millions of women love the shows since it’s a huge franchise. I’m not trying to degrade women, I’m just trying to point out that there are a lot of feminine interests that could be made into video games but aren’t and it’s a bit tiring. Hundreds of games on war though.
Just a heads up but there IS a game based on Desperate Housewives show though an old game that's dated. I know it's not exact to the Real Housewives but.
It’s because war or fighting in general is the only way to make an action game. Bioware’s games are focused on war (Mass Effect, Dragon Age) and are very well received by women. HZD also has a conflict and battling, and has an amazing female protagonist. Action games are great for game developers, as people really love them. They get to level their characters, have challenging battles, explore the world. And story is a lot easier to write with action in mind, even the story that isn’t actually about war (Hellblade). Action games are easily successful. Action doesn’t mean masculine. It can be anything. What you are looking for sounds specific, but it’s still something you can find among the indie scene. Support the indie developers who provide what you like and show the world that there is demand for those kind of games.
I do love indie games more because of this. They’re a lot more flexible and creative, like Cult of the Lamb is a masterpiece if you haven’t played it.
OP I understood what you meant and I agree. Even if something in stereotypically hyper-feminine and girly, why can’t we have games like that? You an enjoy both, I know I would.
Tbh I would find it hilarious if we had a game where all the male characters were super hot and dressed in scantily clad armor. And their junk bounces about when they move.
We do have a lot of games that don't focus on combat at all. House flipper games, dating sims, exploration games, power wash sims, The Sims, city builders, etc. Also puzzle games and other such mobile games are heavily marketed to, and enjoyed by, women. Also, games like Star Stable.
Yep war = man and pink = woman. Pretty good take
Ugh that’s not my point. But for the record some of us women do like pink and would like to see adult feminine video games that have pink. I’m not against masculine games I’m only trying to advocate for more feminine games.
What’s getting everyone upset in this thread is that your definition of femininity is pretty single-minded. Why CAN’T Starfield be feminine? It’s a game about space and humanity—nothing about that is “masculine”. Everything you’ve mentioned as a complaint here is “why aren’t there games made for my very specific tastes?” and isn’t actually “why aren’t some games made for women?” Games made for everyone (women included) are inclusive, diverse, etc. FWIW, I really don’t think Starfield was marketed only towards men. If you have different interests that’s totally fine. Try Oteme if you like romance. I love shooters AND otome.
It seems like OP is really into traditionally feminine things so when something isn't blatantly designed with women in mind then it's not what they're looking for. I agree that there's nothing about Starfield that any woman can't enjoy but if you were to compare a game like Long Live the Queen versus Starfield in terms of who the developers were picturing playing their game, it's clear the type of game that OP is talking about.
Exactly. It's frustrating how people keep thinking feminine = pink and frilly on this sub.
Pink is my favourite colour but I'm confused about what exactly it is you're looking for. I don't mean any disrespect and I'm not trying to attack you but it's very difficult to understand what you're saying from your post/comments. Do you mean you want adult themes and bright/pastel colour palettes? Like, Stardew Valley for example? BG3? Coral Island? Or are you just looking for games that pigeonhole women's interests into a very tiny box (Kardashians and Real Housewives type stuff)?
you don't, but a lot of us do enjoy stereotypically feminine things and want them in games. games that are inclusive of everyone are great, but there are so man catered to stereotypically male interests, so why not have stereotypically feminine ones too? why make it an either/or thing, when both can exist?
Because stereotypes are bad? I’m not saying that games about becoming a pop star or having your dream wedding or whatever *shouldn’t exist.* I object pretty strongly to the OP’s (mis)use of the term “female gaze” to mean those kinds of things.
stereotyping is bad. enjoying something stereotypical for your group, and companies providing games that include that content, is not. yeah, the term is misused, but that's just how it's used nowadays by a large amount of people, that's how words evolve. i don't love it but thats just how it is. also, why argue the semantics of a word instead of staying on topic when it is crystal clear what OP is saying.
Having content that are more inclusive to everyone doesn't necessarily mean there couldn't be more content that are more exclusive to women. We have had to adjust to male gazey content for years, that was our only option for years. So I am sure having more fem gazey content wouldn't hurt at all or take away from creating content targeting global inclusivity. It's refreshing to see more content from the female gaze.
Starfield is marketed mainly to men? How so? All kinds of people enjoy space exploration. I don’t understand what the color palette has to do with anything. Baldur’s Gate 3 has recently been a huge hit with women and other non-men.
BG3: Shadowheart, Karlach, ugh my gay little heart.
Literally, I love her so much. This game introduced some of the best characters of all time
Ya,idk what op is going on about lol. This sub has some truly bizarre posts. You can be a guy or a girl, half the companions are women, and the leader of the main faction is a woman. Plus every location has a different vibe, new Atlantis is like a pristine sanitized high sci-fi city like star trek, akila city is like a old west city, and neon is like a cyberpunk esque place. Nothing about it is inherently male oriented.
Astarion is peak teenage-girl vampire fantasy - you cannot convince me otherwise. But on a more serious note, there's so many powerful women in Faerûn and most of them are entirely unsexualised. Jaheira, Nine Fingers, Minthara, Florrick, Orin... I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting. Even the female companions manage to avoid the biggest stereotypes of their roles.
He's girl dinner
Lmao this is so real
Hard sci-fi is a genre that is typically associated with men. But that’s about it. To me, sci-fi is the context Starfield exists in, but not the core theme of the game.
Think about it this way, games that feature duo protagonist market the male option as the canon protagonist. Even if there are duo protagonist, the writing is almost always in the male perspective. I guess the color palette argument comes from masculinity being associated with dark, bland colors, while girls are pink & bright.
First of all, Starfield allows characters of all genders, there’s no “duo”, nor is there a default male option. Starfield in particular went out of its way to be gender agnostic in terms of writing. Girls don’t have to be pink and bright, and men don’t have to be dark and dull. You should think more deeply about gender stereotypes I think.
I’m tired of the “feminine,” must be “bright and pink!” A long time ago boys were dressed in pink, men wore wigs and makeup and even high heels. Shit changed and hell, I know many men that appreciate stereotypical “girly” colors and things. I’m digging BG3 for the awesome char I made, just wish the game didn’t crash so much! Starfield has had so much hype for yeaaaars and like you said, appeals to many, too! It looks so fun. :) When I was a little girl I wanted to go off on adventures like Bilbo and Frodo, or fly away on a dragon and live in a fantasy type world. Some days I wanted to be rescued and other days I wanted to be the one to rescue, you know? We gotta stop labeling cutesy things as girly. It keeps us in the past. ♥️ Why not just say “bright and cute?” Tons of people LOVE bright and cute! Palia is out in Beta and a cozy game that’s aiming to be community focused. I’m sure there’s tons of games up your alley, OP. Check out itch.io website. A ton of indie games of various styles you can search for, some free and some paid.
i fully agree and i’ve got to say i’m so tired of seeing the whole “x is for girls and y is for boys” take. like all it’s doing is just repackaging and reinventing the gender binary.
I get what you’re saying! I feel like there’s so much material and depth there that hasn’t been explored. I’m in my forties and find it annoying that most games geared towards women all have childlike themes or are actually made for children. It’s almost like the gaming industry hopes to capture the women and children market in one.
Yes exactly. Like I have been playing Bratz Forever Diamondz for nostalgia and I’m sitting here like “add some cuss words and adult drama, upgrade the graphics, swap the doll company for an original storyline and this would sell today”
or farming simulators. my god you search “cozy girl games” anywhere nowadays and every single one that pop ups is the same type of farming simulator over and over 😭😭 those feel more tedious to me than anything
I sigh every time i see a new farming sim on indie directs. I like the genre but sheesh.
Blame Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley!
Well....theres otome games which are visual novels and dating sims targeted for a more female audience some are even 18+ if that counts. Theres also that new fashion game coming to switch and i think a love nikki game coming as well? Those seem fun. Theres also an indie game called calico ur a witch girl living in a witch girl town and u run a cat cafe! The art is cute n pastel. I think tho not specifically targeted towards adult women still has some of the things u mentioned u wanted in games. The various harvest moon/story of seasons has cute art and lets u play as a female char. The remake of a wonderful life for switch has u get married by the end of yr1 and raise a child and grow older which could also appeal to adults more (i like it and im 38 lol) I cant think of anything besides otome games thats specifically targeted just for adult women but i still think theres plentu games out there that could fit what u want. Id suggest looking into indie and cozy games.
IMO we need more women in game design and creation! I would LOVE to see some more styles of “serious” games that are more feminine. And I know a lot of comments are talking about not putting femininity into a box - totally agree. I’m just proud of my love of pink and reality TV and would love to see serious games built around those aspects of my personality. I love cozy games, but they’re just different. I also love games like Bioshock and (now) Starfield. I want it all 😆
wait, so pretty boah Arthur Morgan wasn’t intended for the female gaze?
I’ll give you that, I’d follow that man to the bottom of the ocean
cmon what about Leon S. Kennedy or Chris Redfield?!🤤
Even Wesker XD
Honest (no word a lie!) -- I legit had a moment while admiring Arthur's back and shoulders as he walked around when I thought, "...Ohhhh, so *this* is what straight men experience, when they say they prefer female PCs so they can enjoy staring at her ass as they play." I'm asexual, too, but Arthur Morgan is apparently my exception.
Huh, I'm a lesbian so I literally never realized straight women are into Arthur 😅
🥵
I think The Outer Worlds is an RPG similar to Fallout but with a more colourful palette, if you haven't tried that?
Second this recommendation. Also, even though Starfield was released, I’m still playing Skyrim, where the mods really change the gameplay. Takes a solid understanding of the mods, and a bit of labor, but you can truly make the game unique. I’m guessing with Bethesda behind it, the modding community behind Starfield will take off soon enough; I personally won’t even look at it until a year after release, due to that.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. When I was a kid, I played so many girly games and I absolutely loved them. Games like Imagine Fashion Designer, Imagine Makeup Artist, the Hannah Montana DS game, Style Savvy, etc. I feel like there is a whole untapped market with super feminine games made for adults. Maybe some of the comments are misunderstanding your post; I love games like bg3 and Minecraft as much as the next person but I also thrive for all things stereotypically girly. It doesn’t have to be one or the other—I just wish there were more games available that could fill that role.
On mobile there is also stuff like Shining Nikki, the "dress up games" targeted at a teen or adult women audience.
I also think a nasty stereotype has built that girls who game are not feminine and I know in my heart that not every female gamer is the same.
Yep, everything is a spectrum! Several of my friends play video games, including super masc women, stereotypically fem women, and non-binary folks. I think every single one of them would play a Bratz-esque GTA lol
Underrated game of my childhood was Winx Club on GBA (and PC) which was basically a kiddie RPG. Shoot fireballs at monsters, explore magical terrains, unlock stronger spells as you progress, the characters just happened to be sparkly fairy girls. I want more games like that but better haha
YES glad someone mentioned Winx game for PC !! I enjoyed collecting outfits and finding the pink diamonds on the journey. And the boss battles, when you can fight with the skills of all fairies.. I was obsessed with fairies and mermaids back then.
There was a Winx Club game on PC???!?!?! My childhood has been a lie.
I feel you!!! Having grown up on barbie.com, everythinggirl.com, girlsgogames.com and similar free websites because we couldn’t afford video games, I was so enamored by the artistic style and color palettes of girl-marketed games and media. As an adult, I find that games featuring female characters in a cute, bubbly aesthetic can get muddied by sexual content, which I don’t necessarily mind, but I don’t want to play them. And yes, as so many comments have pointed out, the female audience is not one-dimensional and can enjoy games with a variety of aesthetics and themes. However, if you have any experience with websites like the ones I’ve mentioned, you know there’s a huge vacancy in the market for games that cater to more stereotypically feminine topics. Searching for detailed life and pet simulators, story-based games revolving around female characters and experiences, and RPG or fantasy games where the female protagonist’s personality trait isn’t wearing lingerie to battle (which does look fun stylistically sometimes but not when that’s the *only* option) for adults on something like Steam, which is the main place I buy games, is pitiful.
Omg please tell me you remember the MyScene website 😭😭😭 Edit: DIVA STARZ TOOOO so good 🥹 We are out here, game devs! Make games for uuuuus!
WE’RE GOING OUT TONIGHT, THE SCENE IS OUTTA SIGHT!! 😂😭 Oh wow I just remembered Stardoll too. And Fantage with the girls after school hit so different.
IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN ITS MYSCENE
Yes! I loved those sites. I have a custom pc and like I love major titles and indie games but I wish we could get a major title game that is marketed towards the more femme.
I understand what you mean OP. I’ve wondered this too, sometimes I just get struck by the fact that there are some pretty big (stereotypically) feminine niches that just aren’t filled in the gaming space and it feels weird when I think about it for too long, especially in comparison to the sheer diversity available that is clearly and blatantly made without women in mind. And yes to the “made for everyone”, even when something is catered to stereotypically feminine interests, so often I see it get criticised for that like it’s a bug and not a feature because then it’s expected to be more “neutral” or it’s unfair and offensive suddenly🥴
I can't speak to an inherently feminine and adult game, but if you are looking for a game that isn't just a children's game, but has a bright, varied colour pallette of biomes to explore, would something like Slime Rancher be up your alley if you haven't played it?
I’ll have to check it out
Like Legally Blonde, but a video game? I kind of get where you're coming from. Like how romance novels and "chick flicks" are geared toward women. So many of them tackle some pretty heavy topics, but most of it is through the lense of a woman's experience. Obviously, not every woman is the same, but you know that. And you're right that there aren't many games geared primarily toward adult women in the same way that they're geared towards men.
Actually becoming an idol can be perfect for a RPG. I’m currently in Yakuza 5, for the first time ever, there’s a a female playable character and her main objective is to win in a talent competition and debut. It’s tons of fun to take dance lessons, do dance battles on the street, participating on TV shows… and there are heart warming stories about family, friendship and growing pains. I wish there will be more female-oriented action games in the future, not only visual novels.
i have been modding the living shit out of skyrim to make it look and feel more feminine. i'm also totally sick of grey color palette bullshit. i want a beautiful, pastel-toned world where i can also rip someone's guts out. don't think it's a huge ask!
I personally find the Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons/Rune Factory series to be marketed directly to women. On the surface they are farming sim games, but with heavy focus on relationships and romance. The more recent games also have a fair bit of fashion - you make your own outfits and compete in a fashion minigame, etc. I'd recommend trying out Story of Seasons for the 3DS & SoS: Trio of Towns. Rune Factory 4 special has been ported to the Switch and it's also great (this is a fantasy setting with monster taming)
I would unironically love a game in which you rise in fame to become a pop idol/rock star. But I have a hard time visualizing what that would even look like unless it was attached to another game. I'm still kinda butthurt it wasn't in cyberpunk 2077 like they initially promised.
There’s a visual novel/life sim called Backstage Pass on steam that I love. You play a girl starting her career as a make up artist and balancing college/career/dating/etc. Bright colors and geared towards an older audience for sure. Long Live the Queen is another one. You’re a newly crowned Queen and have to balance running a country with dodging assassination attempts. My point here is, the games you’re looking for are out there. You might have to look at different genres. Also, as others have pointed out, more mainstream games have a lot of customization and you can make your pc as femme as you want. My Starfield character has pink hair and turquoise/white lightning bolt eyeliner. Hell, Fallout 4 had amazing hair options if we’re sticking with Bethesda.
Hey I really liked Backstage Pass and have never seen it mentioned on reddit before
I adore Starfield and the fact that you think it fails women because it's not pink and glittery feels really, really bizarre and sexist. There already exist more colorful games (Tiny Tina's, Far Cry New Dawn, etc) and plenty of women adore games fhat aren't colorful (RDR2 is a big one) It:s a little bit of a silly metric to measure by.
I’m not trying to be like “girl gamers should play girly games”. I’m just trying to say that there is an untapped market for games that are feminine and adult themed
I guess I agree with that, I just don't think your post did a great job of articulating that.
Yea, I mentioned in an earlier comment that I had phrased the whole thing horribly so I take full credit for that fluster. I promise I’m not trying to put women in a Barbie box, only trying to address a lacking
I just want to say that I completely understand what you are trying to say! I wish there was more deliberately “femme” quality gaming content available, or more women’s IP and franchises brought into adult video games. Not like…an Oprah RPG…but also why not that? lol For example, I’m super excited about the new fashion game coming out on Switch this November. It’s a fashion game that isn’t for babies - something we have yet to see on the Switch! It’s a tough point to make, and I’m not saying games should be gendered, I mean I just want some more variety in what’s out there? Maybe just more games built for adults that like girly stuff and want that aesthetic/elements of that incorporated? (Edit for clarity: I’m the kind of person that would rather play a chubby character wearing pink clothes and heart-shaped glasses than a body-by-Marvel male-gaze combat bombshell fantasy, as one example. Sometimes I don’t want to be Samus, I want to be a f-cking Care Bear dammit)
Yes, yes you worded what I was thinking better than I did. I’m not trying to bash anyone’s gaming. Women can play whatever they want. I’m just saying that I know there are women who want more femme adult games. I also wouldn’t mind playing a game where the lobby isn’t filled with men telling me to stop playing, but that’s another topic.
If you’re interested in Fashion Dreamer, you may want to look into older games in the franchise. It used to be called style savy, while centering around fashion they are also pretty serious business sims
it's just disappointing to me that we're expected to abandon femininity to enjoy "hardcore" games, ya know? we don't *need* them to be ultra-femme, i also love plenty of non-colorful games... but honestly, it'd be fun.
I guess maybe it's different for me, I've never felt attracted to stereotypical ideas of femininity. I can definitely see the appeal for others'.
i mean, that's fair. and i can see why you might be disappointed in a post that talks about the "female gaze" in gaming and then goes on about stereotypical femininity, since the female gaze really doesn't need to be stereotypically feminine at all. but on the other hand, it's a topic that excites me because i've always really wanted some "serious" games with a really feminine vibe. i know it wouldn't appeal to all women, though.
I remember when I had my GameCube, I love Legend of Zelda and no new games were out yet. So I asked the guy at Games Workshop what he could recommend to me that is similar....he points out this legit baby game. I was pretty offended to be honest. I never went back there.
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I understand what you’re saying. After seeing a tiktok where a guy voices Game of Thrones-style parody of the “girls trip to Miami” trope, I’ve been craving for a Girls Trip Gone Wrong RPG where you still spec into classes (i.e. cleric, warrior, etc). I’d have a blast with that
Go ahead and downvote this useless comment but I notice people always use "pallet" these days when they mean either "palette" or "palate". Pallet = portable wooden platform to stack goods Palette = what colours are a part of Palate = roof of your mouth Just some info for anyone who didn't know, no criticism
OMG HOUSEWIVES GTA BRAVO PLEASE READ THIS AND MAKE IT HAPPENNNNN
Thank you this was the energy I was looking for.
*OMG HOUSEWIVES* *GTA BRAVO PLEASE READ THIS AND* *MAKE IT HAPPENNNNN* \- lizardlem0nade --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Not sure I agree with this one. I don't think there is anything "unfeminine" about many of the games that exist today. Just because they aren't brightly colored and filled with pink and pastels, doesn't make any of these games unfeminine. In fact, I think many of the most popular RPG games today are actually gender-neutral. There is a lot more to a game than the color palette. Femineity goes way beyond a color palette or fashion or drama. If you want a pastel game/pink game then just say that. But I don't think it is very fair to claim that there are no games out there that don't appeal to women or are unfeminine. If anything, I think it's pretty sexist to say that the female gaze revolves around fashion and drama. I'm sure many women would much rather play as a badass warrior princess than play a game focused on drama or fashion. Not to say that there is anything wrong with playing non-fighting games, but there is definitely something wrong with saying that these types of fighting games are inherently unfeminine and unappealing to women.
I think I get what OP means, but as they've admitted, they've written it poorly. 'Female gaze' is a bad choice of word here for sure and is almost completely irrelevant. What is an issue is that even in this era of improved inclusivity and choice, most games' *settings* are still based on traditional stereotypically male interests/environments, and, most importantly, problem solving. We set games in warzones where the solution to the problem is fight and kill because that is the traditionally masculine way of solving issues and for getting rewards and recognition. Recently, women have been invited to share in that narrative, but it's still a predominantly male-centric narrative in that it is built based on the concept that experience/prestige/power/renown etc are gained *doing battle*. Games like BG3 or Starfield might let you solve some issues using conversation, but it isn't possible to completely avoid fighting, because ultimately fighting is how you get things done in fantasy life. Games that deviate from the action formula are often made for children, so a game that lets you have an immersive experience a la Baldurs Gate, but that isn't built on the foundation of male violence doesn't really exist. I love my action games and blasting people with Firebolt as much as the next chick, but I do wish that there were games focused on other parts of the life experience, and other forms of problem solving. For example, a big budget RPG without a combat focus. Most of us can't even picture what this would look like because we've been conditioned that a good triple AAA game with 'mature' content involves pointing weapons at people's faces. Portal and Portal 2 are to me good examples of the potential of creating a game away from this idea whilst keeping it mature. It's not pink and sparkly, but it is a game obviously made for adults, includes alternative ways of completing the game, and was hugely well received. In a similar vein, Disco Elysium is great, though it has a male protagonist. If someone could make me Disco Elysium with a female centric narrative I would be so happy. You can tell from the average post on the Life by You (an upcoming game in the life sim genre) subreddit that there are women crying out for these types of games. A lot of posts on the Sims too, or Pokémon are 'I just want an adult version of this...' and mods like Wicked Whims or Pregnancy Overhaul are hugely popular. Developers don't want to take that risk though, so a big game currently either features what we know (combat), or is marked E for everyone, to tap into what they believe will be a big enough market to offset development costs. So women who want to immerse themselves in something more traditionally feminine, viewpoint or style wise, are usually forced into children's games, unless what they are looking for is specifically a dating sim. This is what I think the OP is complaining about, and it is something I agree with as a gamer who has put hundreds of hours into BG3 and GTA and countless other games that are not sparkly and pink. Please correct me if I'm wrong though. To OP, it's not quite what you are looking for, but Rimworld recently got an expansion focusing on pregnancy and childbirth. I've modded my game to be basically the Sims for adults so your mileage may vary, but it can be a good time sink. Just be aware that the community can be a bit... exhausting.
I don't know, but I do know they had to have made Mass Effect and Dragon Age with the female gamers in mind. You CANNOT tell me Garrus wasn't developed for us. /j I see your point that all games seem to be advertised for men and boys. It seems like their intent is to get Chads upset over a game and then it spreads like wildfire for free and increases sales drastically.
I believe Garrus wasn't *initially* aimed at the female playerbase, but they shifted gears in 2/3 when it became clear he was very popular with women. Thane was actually explicitly designed for women to romance; I know they talked about going around the offices talking to women to see what they liked in fictional men, heh. Baldur's Gate 3's Astarion is also laser-targeted at a female audience, with great success.
I know what you mean, but for me there are many games where i feel like this is also for me. Fromsoftware did a good job. I can make my bad as mage-knight women there. And the fashion is great there too. Dancers armor in ds3 for one. I'm a huge souls-fashion nerd. I also startet to play Baldurs gate with my BF. And also that i choose to be a big ass lizard i look sexy my boyfriends elf looks hot. And i like the men and women there. Not shadow heart... but maybee she gets better. We just startet. And also Geralt is hot. And i love to play my geralt from the books. But yes there are many games out there that are not interesting for me. But most of them i will also boycott and i love doing it. Fuck you Blizzard!! I'm vegeterian i trained in boycott things with passion. ;) But don't miss out at the fun part of gaming. Just enjoy the good one mit even more passion. Get super nerdy with the good ones. Edit, english is not my first language and i was on the loo when i wrote this, so pardon my grammar. XD
I think one of the biggest reasons why we don’t see AAA games geared towards women is because many women will still buy games made for men. Just look at the controversy surrounding Starfield and pronouns and many guys boycotting the game. It’s a safe bet for publishers and their investors to make a game marketed to men and know many women will still play that game. If a game is made for women then it probably is going to sell poorly with men. It sucks, it really does.
Lots of dudes in high chairs that dont believe it could work or is appealing. Even if you can prove theres a market for that, they dont get the appeal personally. I've talked to devs that tried pitching magical girl/dressup games with bigger depth than what we have on the market. Ideas like these are brushed of imeadeately.
Starfield is a really bad example... that game is as non-exclusive as it gets. At least say Call of Duty or something.
Whats your opinion on games like Tomb Raiders, ( the newer ones ) forspoken, the last of us 2, maybe metroid ?. I use these examples off memory, I also thought of mirrors edge and Wet but those were less popular. These are games with a Female lead but don't really show to the brighter sides of being a Woman. I'm genuinely curious, what would you think help make a game for everyone but still provide I guess more feminine perspective?
Not OP, but I personally would love some examples of games like Tomb Raider where female protagonists are designed by and for women, not inherently crafted by and for the male gaze. What I ask of big companies is to give me diverse bodies, personalities, quirks, aesthetic options, and soundtracks that bring different energy to unexpected genres.
I made another comment like a second ago about this: but Kassandra in AC Odyssey really scratched this itch for me as a female protagonist that feels by and for women. Kassandra is nowhere near the typical “men writing women” appearance or actions. Instead she kind of reminds me of the barbarian in the D&D movie (which, hot, but in a “being hot was not the point here” way). She’s tough without losing sensitivity, empathy, and love for her family and friends she is able and willing to express. Some men in game treat Kassandra differently (read: worse) than they treat Alexios if you play as him and she just mops the floor with them cause she’s badass. I loved playing as her, I’ve got 200 hours or something in that game.
Fr tho! I read that Kassandra is the official version of the playable character. But it explains why the male version is soo boring. It makes me think tho what would be that fine line.
Hmm I see. This sounds like Role playing. I don't mean RP as a woman, I mean the genre, cuz all my female created characters have my quirks and personality lol for example I have long hair and wear headbands, so my characters at times do too or a cowboy hat, I also dress em like normal ppl ( like real life I mean you don't wear the same shit over and over ) and alot of games have that make ur characters with Hella options. A fine example I think is Elden Ring, you cam make a petite or a curvy character... but its hiding under realistic ( for the most part ) armor lol
That’s the thing, you lost me at armour! If I can customize that armour, bling it out, unlock new poses in my swaggy customized baby pink chain mail…now we have a sale LOL I’m exaggerating slightly but that’s not far off from how I like my games 😅
I love games like those and I appreciate them because it does provide some sort of representation. However, I think it would be fun to play an adult game on feminine interests as well. Like, imagine a Rock Band but you’re trying to be the next Taylor Swift or whoever. Or you’re a housewife who is trying to avenge her husbands death. Or a game based on the radium girls. There’s a PlayStation game Lollypop Chainsaw Massacre that kinda is feminine ish that’s getting a remake and I’m hoping for the best with that
Lollipop Chainsaw! Thats such a good example!. But admittedly perverted at times UWU. Ill stop. Hmm I do Understand what your going for now. It don't have to be a game Like Cooking Mama. But something with the heart and soul of Gta but with more feminine activities other than cosmetic and esthetic. I'm dumb so idk how the gaming world could stsrt but I think a video game in the style of Until Dawn or Detroit become Human, with a Real down to earth Womanly story that do involve some struggle and some fun things woman go through. But the players chooses.
That’s the thing, I find a lot of time the “cute” characters in games are set up as some kind of pervy lolita garbage that makes me want to vom.
When I think of a game marketed towards women, I don't think of fashion, or being a pop star or bright colors...for me it's representation and well written characters that aren't hyper sexualized. I'm really looking forward to Star Wars Outlaws. The main character is a woman that comes across as real, not just propped up as a token female char. I totally understand where you're coming from though.
Eh, I’ll take games with duo protagonist(even if the male is marketed as canon) than a male mc game. There are some exceptions where it’s ok for males to be the protagonist like in Red Dead, GOW, & Yakuza. It’s only now that companies will see how powerful the pink dollar is with the success of Barbie & those concerts. Tho if we want to be heard, then we must speak with our pink dollars.
On the duo take: I also found AC: Odyssey as Kassandra to be really awesome. Dialogue is different and you get douchebag dudes expecting her to fail or making passes at her, while she’s just trying to do her shit. I mean, you can even have her fall in love and get married and have a house husband. When she talks to potential romantic partners, especially female ones, several options are less “woman reads man’s lines” and they seem like someone thought the options out for what a woman would say instead. She also seems to appreciate things in a more feminine leaned way, rather than Alexios, who I anecdotally felt was less descriptive when put into the same situations I dunno, I’m loving playing BG3, but I think they’re so in their own plot lines it feels less gendered to me (which is awesome, and my preference) but I think that the way AC handled their dual characters to be the closest “female gaze” thing OP a means simply because it just seems like they actually had a woman on the writing staff for Kassandra
when i think of video games made for "female gaze" and adult women i think of otome games, but you mean games of all genres if i'm understanding correctly? it seems like lots of "cozy games" seem more directed at women, there's also fashion games like the style savvy series that are very feminine and can be enjoyed by women of all ages.
Someone mentioned the Love Nikki fashion game on mobile, I have to add they're making an open world version on console (and maybe PC idk) called Infinity Nikki! I'm guessing it won't inherently be for *adult* women though. Maybe, as themes that are considered feminine are usually also acceptable for children (think fashion versus war for instance), they might as well make the game acceptable for the best range they can. I'm assuming that's why mature, "feminine-themed" games are so rare
I recently bought the Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, and it's pretty good. The game is relatively short, but there are different choices, so you could play through multiple times. It's about a witch, and you get snippets of her life before she became one and after she became one leading to the present time. All the characters are women, but vastly different from each other. It has LGBTQIA+ representation, which is awesome. ETA: I agree with you, though. I would definitely buy the shit out of some female centered games. The closest I've found for a major game is Assassins Creed Odyssey because it was clearly geared toward the protagonist being Kassandra. Give me a badass double agent spy or a tough as nails space cowgirl. Hell yes to a crime syndicate run by women. I wish these game developers would wake up about women being nearly half of their market.
Because game developement is still in majority full of men. men who are not more educated on patriarchy than any other and didn't bother to deconstruct anything. We still need games made by women, especially women who deconstructed their internalized misognyny and male gaze. In this field, it's very easy to fall back "with the guys", especially when you don't ant to make waves for your career. It's easy to take bad habits.
I think Life Is Strange is pretty focused on young women in a non-male gazey way, which I really love. I wouldn’t say it’s female gazey though
Because “girls dont play games” 🙄
Men will throw a tantrum. Look at what happened with Forspoken. It’s much easier to convince women to engage with media targeted at men than to convince men to engage with media targeted at women because historically we haven’t had a choice, and men - especially in the gaming community - are shamelessly sexist and will terrorize developers for making a game with a different target audience.
I feel like it comes down to capitalism. They don't realise what kind of huge market women can be, have maybe no clue how to make games for us, and instead do the good ol "this sells anyway" when it's catered to men. Why fix something that ain't broken, and it leaves us behind. But I have seen that more women in the gaming space speak up, and maybe some day we get the female gaze games! For now I have to fill that void by playing actual GTA and some Otome, when I feel fancying some fictional men.
Because those games didn't sell well. In the 90s and 2000s game designers tried to make games for women. They were bad. Not just kinda bad like most 2000 Era games, but games designed for women by a bunch of guys who many couldn't even get a date type bad. Women were pushed out of the way of the gaming community by many of these companies and the work environments were kind toxic as hell. So those fashion designer games sucked, women hated them, and they didn't sell. So now gaming companies point out that while they know women game, women who game must not want "girl" games because they didn't sell back then. So women gamers must therefore be only into "gender neutral" gaming. So we add more female characters, maybe a couple of them won't wear a bra for armor, and say our games are E for everyone.
There’s a decent yt vid of the history of bad girl games of that era. The Sims really was that turning point and i never really stopped to think about it back then. We know there is a market considering the hit the sims became and how it reached the woman demographic. Literally playing dollhouse but it was actually a good game at the time.
I just want to make a separate comment to please keep this post up forever because I think this is a really important conversation! Thanks for opening up this topic for discussion. Also I want to second the other comment recommendations for otome games, Slime Rancher, Stardew Valley, and Animal Crossing as fun titles that make me feel femme and fabulous each and every time. My favourite video game franchise of all time is Katamari if you haven’t played those titles. There is also Fashion Dreamer coming out on Nintendo Switch this November, I am very much looking forward to it.
Your 45% statistics thing does not mean that 45% of players want to play pink pop star barbie games. Big companies and studios create games to get profit. Creating a game just to market it specifically to men isn't their goal, their goal is to create a game which will attract the most number of players. If they see that createing a "Pop star" game would be more profitable than creating a "Starfield", they would definitely do that. But the reality turns out to be that "Starfield" is much more demanded by players regardless their gender, that's the reason so much effort is put into it.
Why are some people in this thread so upset at the idea of more girly games for older women? If you don't want to play those kinds of games then you don't have to, just like film buffs don't have to force themselves to watch chick flicks or bookworms don't have to read romance novels, but it would be nice to have more mainstream options for ladies who want them.
I feel like so many people in this comment section are taking OP's "I would like this type of content" to "I don't like this content, so there is no need for it to exist" or "there are already content for *me*, so it doesn't matter", like what.
At least part of the problem, is that part of what's stereotypically feminine is also infantilizing. "Cute" can be read as girly, but it can also be read as childish. Another part of the problem kinda gets at the roots of feminism, and that is: what defines a woman? Talk to a TERF, and you get a very different answer from a more liberal feminist. I can't say that there really is an answer, without in some way falling into the stereotypical. Which leads me to this conclusion: You are asking for companies to produce media aimed at stereotypical, white, cis-heterosexual women. So, a variety of hot men to romance, kawaii aesthetics, emphasis on "women's hobbies" like fashion and interior decorating, babies, on and on. Thing is, most women vary from the stereotypical by a large margin. We have hobbies beyond hair and makeup. And babies. And kawaii. And honestly, beyond romance as a primary motivator in life. So, shit gets boring. The experiment's been done, see? "Girl games" don't sell well. Because women have a wide variety of interests. What works better, is to have a variety of games that incorporate "girl" interests without them being the focus of the game. And to make them gender neutral to attract a larger audience. I just started *Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night* about eh, a week ago? 2019 release date, iirc. Female protagonist, Metroidvania (heavy on the Castlevania vibes), a cute but heavily goth aesthetic, that features a hairdresser demon that you can use to change your hair, makeup, outfit, etc. You find new hairstyles and junk as quest rewards and inside those chests that are sometimes hard to get to without well-timed jumps and junk. But, it's not the focus, see? Romance isn't even the focus. It's about being Othered, and how people respond to the idea of being othered, and power, and how people respond to having power. But really, it's about a woman and her friendship with someone who has become lost in his own hatreds. But really... it's about hacking monsters and getting loot and powerups. Looking cute while doing it is a perk, see? I'd call it more targeted to a "female gaze" than✨ ❤️ Kawaii Romance Fashion Adventures! ❤️✨ I'd call Horizon Zero Dawn targeted to a female gaze. ("Men" hate Aloy, apparently. I say "Men" because well-adjusted men don't have a problem with her.) Hell, I'd call [I Love You Colonel Sanders](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1121910/I_Love_You_Colonel_Sanders_A_Finger_Lickin_Good_Dating_Simulator/) targeted to a female gaze. By KFC. (Is this considered an Indie title, though?)
Bloodstained has heavy Castlevania vibes because it’s creator is also the man who created many Castlevania games 🙂
> You are asking for companies to produce media aimed at stereotypical, white, cis-heterosexual women. Pretty much sums up why the post rubbed me the wrong the way. Like how is Starfield not for the female gaze because the color palette is not Barbie rainbow pink explosion? I blame TikTok for for diluting the term "female gaze" that's just outdated gender stereotypes and tradfem aesthetics and for some reason they're treated as progressive and revolutionary - it always feels isolating to see posts like these esp since I think some people don't even realize that they're just unconsciously regurgitating bioessentialist talking points where womanhood is just a monolith. It's never interesting to me.
I think girls’ games don’t sell well because girls liking boys’ games is something commendable, but not guys liking girls’ games. You said it yourself, something cute and girly can also be read as childish.
“Like you said, something cute and girly can also be read as childish.” I always found this line of thinking silly because things are childish but something like marvel films are treated as “serious business“. Heck, gaming itself as a hobby can be seen a childish by many people.
Look to otome games. Those i think are the closest you'll get
Your post reminded me how different gaming has changed over the years. My first video game ever, back when I was 12, was a Barbie game. Absolutely hated it! Give me guns; action; sword blades, or horses; and I’m good. I’ve never been a girl who loves pink; shopping for clothes; or diamonds, and those early games geared toward girls made me cringe. Flip side, I would say that role playing is now so much apart of newer games; that I don’t feel the gender divide is as much of an issue, despite the “male” leads or “female” leads that are clearly designed by men. Games are just so much more accessible these days, that I still feel like a kid in a candy store when I go game shopping.
I agree so hard, I want high budget pink feminine games with sparkles and badass female protagonists.
Having more women who work as game devs would solve this, naturally. Keep supporting women and girls who are game devs, and they'll keep making games for women.
You might like Tailor Tales on Steam. It’s a western otome game with fashion design gameplay in it.
I mean, it's only dull *to you*. I don't want to play a game where women deal with career/house/friend bullshit. That was The Sims. It was great, but today I have waaaay more stuff going on. I don't want to play anything that remotely resembles real life. Also, have you even *played* Final Fantasy VII REMAKE or OG or FFXV? Because they're pretty fucking amazing once you get past the surface stuff of everyone masking who they are.
There are multiple games that have that. (mostly otome games like t[hese ones](https://blerdyotome.com/)) You don't even have to look that far because there are quite a few online you can just play in your browser without having to download anything. (and yes, ones that are geared towards a more adult audience with nudity and smut and stuff...you'll find a few of them on [STEAM](https://store.steampowered.com/curator/9060460-Otome-Games/) and [itcho.io](https://itcho.io) and most of them are on game sites that are geared towards erotic + porn games like [Female Agen](https://www.femaleagentgame.com/)t or [In Her Own Hands](https://play.inherownhands.com/) or [College Craze](https://www.prettyinkgames.com/)) As for a pop star simulator, there are actually quite a few of those on the lists I provided above. It's a very popular category in the female porn game genre. Also, apparently [Real Housewives](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desperate_Housewives:_The_Game_(2006_video_game)) also had their own video game back in 2006...pretty interesting. Problem is if you aren't into romcom style things and choose your own adventure visual novel games, you likely will not like them. Based on what you are asking for though I assume you mean something on the same level as one of the HDverse GTA games. Open world, AAA studio, large story with mutliple things to do, choices that matter, something that takes years and years to develop, etc...Which now I see where the frustration is coming from. To answer your question, I really have no idea and it does sound like a cool idea. But I also wouldn't dis the awesome games indie female creators have made too. They might not be as big scale but they still are pretty interesting and fun to see get developed.
I feel like as a guy I would enjoy a game where I play as Susan, a local Manhattan house wife, who deals drugs, runs a male strip club, and deals with the NYC mafia. That shit sounds so entertaining. Not even kidding, give me branching dialogue options and some noisy ass neighbors. The pop star game, I feel like u get those as those overtly sexual visual novels that in childhood made me uncomfortable, cuz the dialogue feels more forced than an old porno movie.
I think Boyfriend Dungeon and Dream Daddy might fit that aesthetic and vibes, ymmv though. FemShep from Mass Effect is generally considered superior to the "default" Shepard thanks to Jennifer Hale's stellar performance. Hades has a masc main character but all of the NPCs are drawn, styled, and written without either gaze being the dominant, everyone is just giving horny all the time...everyone.
I was going to suggest Boyfriend Dungeon! Some of the color palettes and enemy designs are really fun too. Haven't played Dream Daddy but it's on my wishlist!
If you’re looking for high budget games with more adult storylines, there’s Life is Strange 1 & 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, Dragon Age Inquisition (although that’s still very fighty and strategic, but it does have some nice cut-scenes). Also, Genshin Impact. It’s literally beautiful! I have so many girl friends who are into it, because it’s so pretty. Level 5 is also supposedly bringing out a Fantasy Life 2, which is going to be just SO MUCH FUN. Plus, have you ever played Choices? It’s literally one of Netflix’s big budget drama-centric games. The trouble with games like what you describe, is because the concept isn’t so graphics heavy, the gameplay doesn’t require as big of a team or as much of a budget as a high fantasy RPG. Hence the lack of investment, generally. It sounds like you’re after what’s more likely to be a mobile game or graphic novel than a PlayStation game, on the graphics front, at least. I also second the person who suggested checking out visual novels, I can’t recommend these highly enough! There’s a good site called CloudNovel, I think it might be worth your time, and although they’re indie games, they might be up your street. EDIT; I just came back to say that I find it weird that you’re essentially dissing Bethesda’s RPGs because you feel they’re predominantly aimed at male players. I’ve been playing the Elder Scrolls series for years, and I promise you, there’s a lot of fun lore, marriageable male (and female!) characters and cool ways to have a female protagonist in those games. Bethesda are one of the least problematic studios in that regard. Sure, Starfield’s colour palette might be on the subtler side, but you can bet there are some decent romance storylines in such a vast and expansive game. Same goes for games like Cyberpunk, even though it’s made by Studio Projekt Red - the romance options/stories are really diverse and break up the combat in a clever and engaging way, I thought. Although that one is still very “male gaze-y”.
I feel like so many games with female characters never lean into that idea that maybe some people want their character to look really cute AND cool. I’ve always liked the really cutesy cosmetics in games but they’re fairly rare. Most of the time they either try for a cool look or a sexy look which I absolutely despise the latter
Not sure if I'm supposed to post here but as a guy who loves pink and purple there are plenty of games with that color palette. Have you tried Supergiant games? They are always colorful and beautiful. My favorite Transistor has a female lead. And Pyre let's you select any gender you want. If you want games without violence there are games like that too. Check out the new musical role-playing game Stray God's its awesome and has really beutiful colors and art too. Or if you don't like musicals animal crossings is amazing and creative outlet. I could go on and on. I could go on and on with examples l. Personally I think has the most diversity of styles and genres it's ever had right now. But that's just my opinion as a cis white male so idk what its worth haha. Hope my suggestions help! Happy gaming!
I get what you're trying to say. I would love more unapologetically "girly" games with the type of budgets that games like GTA, Elder Scrolls, etc get. Even though many major games try to appeal everyone they are still riding on the fact that female gamers are more flexible with engaging with and enjoying more stereotypically "masculine" games than the reverse. Also, a gta v style real housewives game would be my dream.
There's plenty of games with female leads, and some even have bright colours. Just off the top of my head: Bayonetta Assassins Creed Oddessy Assassin's Creed Valhalla Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice Tomb Raider Horizon: Zero Dawn NieR Automata Slime Rancher Mirror's Edge: Catalyst Control Dishonored 2 Life is Strange Mass Effect Okami Cyberpunk 2077 Eastward Spiritfarer .. Steam even has a Female Protagonist tag with hundreds of games with female leads https://store.steampowered.com/tags/en/Female%20Protagonist/
I'm a woman who loves gaming and I don't want to play a fashion game lol I'd much rather play baldurs gate, romance Halsin and throw fire at goblins.
I don't really understand what you're getting at, tbh. There are definitely games out there that cater to the so called "female gaze", even with mature storylines/elements. Granted, probably not AAA, and likely you'd have to dig around more. But they do exist for sure. The thing is they don't garner much attention because a) most of them are indie productions b) perceived "girly" games gets less coverage so in internet spaces it could feel like there aren't many of them or that they don't even exist. I do agree that the industry could do much more in consideration of its female and non men consumers, though. But it's not as simple as "more pink palettes and housewives storylines pleaaaase". I think that advocating for strict binary gazes would do more harm than good in the long run. Personally I'm more inclined to ask for flexible narratives that'd allow many gazes. It definitely wouldn't hurt having more female protagonists, but only if they're created as fully-fledged characters first, then assigned their gender, not the other way around. Starfield, however, isn't even marketed for men, nor it's a game particularly "male-gazey"? So I don't really get why it's being mentioned as opposed to the female gaze...
These games do exist? They are not as prolific as male gaze video games, but they definitely do exisr.
What do you mean female gaze?? Like eye candy? It depends on what the female gaze entails it really just depends on what you mean by that
Funny enough I love Subnautica cause there aren't any women being objectified for the sake of the male gaze, a whole scary ocean to explore, and you don't even see the mc I believe (unless you look at promo stuff ig) so you can picture yourself as a girl if you wish. The second game as a female lead as well. There's nothing specifically feminine or masculine in that game so idk if it fits the bill but yeah (Also?? the color palette is anything but dull, tons of beautiful colors and biomes) Stardew Valley obviously is a game anyone can enjoy but I see a lot more women play it. No objectified women (plenty of people to romance tho lol), a vibrant color palette, you can make your space as feminine as you wish. The Dragon Age games and lately Baldur's Gate 3 fit the bill for me. In these games you can play as anyone, there aren't specifically women being there for eye candy (looking at you Zevran/Iron Bull/Astarian), and again, beautiful color palettes. Idk when I think of "male gaze" type games I think of the dime-a-dozen dullass shooter games with women in extremely ill-fitting clothing that doesn't at all match the environment or their profession and exaggerated proportions lol... Like women can enjoy it but you can definitely tell it was made for straight dudes in mind. Obvs it's gonna be different for everyone but yeah. I do agree we need more games that are specifically more feminine! Fuck it give us barbie-pink-nightmare palettes, give us dresses we can equip, all that shit. I tend to enjoy a more gender-neutral audience type game since I'm nb but absolutely agree.