EA targets teen and pre-teen female market

 

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Posted on 4 Jul 2008 at 15:39

Electronic Arts has developed a game tailored to get teenage and pre-teen girls into gaming. "Boogie SuperStar" is a role playing game, in which players are discovered for their singing and dancing skills, and EA insists that the game promotes "self-expression, creativity, and empowerment for girls worldwide".

EA has identified the pre-teen and teen female market as one that has been traditionally overlooked. According to John Buchanan, marketing director for EA's casual entertainment division, Boogie SuperStar contains a mix of all things that the target market is interested in.

"We knew this was an amazing audience to go after and to take what they love: fashion, music, dancing, and create a video game for these girls to show their self-expression," he said.

Players create and customise their own character for performances, and can pick music from a playlist of popular songs by the likes of Britney Spears, Leona Lewis and Kanye West. Once discovered, the character is whisked away in a stretch limo to an island where they gear up for the competition to be crowned the "Boogie SuperStar".

However, some female gamers have already voiced concerns that the game is just another female-targeted video game based on unflattering stereotypes.

"I don't think anything using pop-stars with 'issues' that revolve around scandals can create any kind of positive self-empowerment," said Didi Cardoso, managing editor at Grrlgamer.com, a video game website tailored to women.

Other game manufacturers have forayed into the teen and pre-teen female market in the past, but none have made a lasting impact. Ubisoft Entertainment developed its "Imagine" line just for young girls, but its titles, such as "Fashion Designer", "Animal Doctor," and "Babyz" - a game where girls face babysitting obstacles, failed to take off.

However, Sega will try to steal EA's thunder with the upcoming release of the girl-targeted "Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek," for the Wii. Both games will be released on the Nintendo Wii in October 2008.

Author: Dawinderpal Sahota