The “New” Casual Female Market

There’s a new market segment for casual games and its composition may surprise you. Far from
the typical crowd of casual game consumers, this group has some strong differentiators:

• Female
• Age 20-39
• Relationships of various types
• Busy social calendars
• Desire to stay “hip” (possibly even “girlie”)
• Tech-curious (as opposed to tech-savvy)

Note that this “new” group of casual female players cannot really be considered “gamers.” They
are simply consumers who play games as part of their leisure/entertainment activities. They don’t
search out new games and would probably never say that “playing games” is one of their primary
diversions. Rather their gameplaying is a byproduct of other activities: They may play simply because a game is “pushed” to them while they are engaged in some other online activity (while interacting with friends on Facebook, for example). They play because their friends do, or because it’s a cool thing to do. In that respect, the social aspect of their gameplaying cannot be overstated.

You Lost Me at “Download”
Evidence suggests that this market—the casual female market—isn’t too keen on downloadable
games. They seek a 10-to-15-minute gaming experience, and that time span is a mere fraction of the time it takes to download a typical MMO. Many of these women sneak in online browsing—reading gossip blogs, scanning Facebook, shopping for the latest apparel—while at work. In order to fit in with this sort of online behavior, games for this demographic must be of the bite-sized, “accessible anywhere” variety. Browser-based games are good, but even better are social games within the social networks these women already visit as part of their daily digital snacking.

Oh So Pretty
It goes without saying that the casual female market is attracted to games that look, well, pretty.
The retail industry knows this, and makes this a top priority. Publishers of games developed for this demographic must also remember that the “window shopping” mentality is very well ingrained
with women, and making games look pretty is as important as making them fun to play. A strong
case study for this approach comes from the consumer goods division of Room Candy, which
manufactures toys, home décor and scrapbooking accessories aimed at women 20 to 35 years old. At Room Candy, we’ve learned that if products don’t look “cute”, or if the color is off (wrong shade of pink, for example), they don’t sell. You can argue that games are inherently different because the gameplay experience is different from game to game, but all else being equal, the prettier looking game will stand a much better chance of winning over the consumer.

Men Compete, Women Compare
Men generally prefer gameplay that involves direct competition and combat. Conversely, women
seem to react much better to indirect competition or peer pressure. They don’t need to be the alpha of the pack, but they want to level-up to the same standing as their peers. These equations best illustrate the dynamics of men vs. women:

• Men > Men
• Women ≥ Women

Five Female-friendly Themes
Games with the following five themes—what we’ll call The Five Fs—generally appeal to women
because they are aligned with what women are drawn to in real life:
• Food
• Friends/Family
• Fido/Felines (Pets)
• Fashion
• Flowers/Farming

Rising to the Challenge
Catering to the new female casual market is not an impossible task, but certainly a challenge
because we are essentially competing for women’s leisure time. The key for publishers who want
to tap into this demographic is understanding the psychology of young females today compared
to the traditional demographic of female gamers.

Linny Cendana is the founder and CEO of Room Candy Inc., a six-year-old lifestyle consumer goods manufacturer/ wholesaler for women aged 20- to-35 years old. She is also the founder and CEO of Room Candy Games, a division of Room Candy Inc. that is focused on publishing games for the “new” casual game market, including browser-based games, social games, and games for iPhone/iPod Touch. Previously, Ms. Cendana spent five years on Wall Street in equity research covering the interactive entertainment sector. Linny can be reached at linny.cendana@casualconnect.org.

HOME \| LECTURES & ARTICLES \| MARKETING & BUSINESS MODELS \| The “New” Casual Female Market The “New” Casual Female Market Understanding the Psychology of the New Female Demographic Linny Cendana Casual Connect Magazine, Summer 2009 There’s a new market segment for casual games and its composition may surprise you. Far from the typical crowd of casual game consumers, this group has some strong differentiators: • Female • Age 20-39 • Relationships of various types • Busy social calendars • Desire to stay “hip” (possibly even “girlie”) • Tech-curious (as opposed to tech-savvy) Note that this “new” group of casual female players cannot really be considered “gamers.” They are simply consumers who play games as part of their leisure/entertainment activities. They don’t search out new games and would probably never say that “playing games” is one of their primary diversions. Rather their gameplaying is a byproduct of other activities: They may play simply because a game is “pushed” to them while they are engaged in some other online activity (while interacting with friends on Facebook, for example). They play because their friends do, or because it’s a cool thing to do. In that respect, the social aspect of their gameplaying cannot be overstated. You Lost Me at “Download” Evidence suggests that this market—the casual female market—isn’t too keen on downloadable games. They seek a 10-to-15-minute gaming experience, and that time span is a mere fraction of the time it takes to download a typical MMO. Many of these women sneak in online browsing—reading gossip blogs, scanning Facebook, shopping for the latest apparel—while at work. In order to fit in with this sort of online behavior, games for this demographic must be of the bite-sized, “accessible anywhere” variety. Browser-based games are good, but even better are social games within the social networks these women already visit as part of their daily digital snacking. Oh So Pretty It goes without saying that the casual female market is attracted to games that look, well, pretty. The retail industry knows this, and makes this a top priority. Publishers of games developed for this demographic must also remember that the “window shopping” mentality is very well ingrained with women, and making games look pretty is as important as making them fun to play. A strong case study for this approach comes from the consumer goods division of Room Candy, which manufactures toys, home décor and scrapbooking accessories aimed at women 20 to 35 years old. At Room Candy, we’ve learned that if products don’t look “cute”, or if the color is off (wrong shade of pink, for example), they don’t sell. You can argue that games are inherently different because the gameplay experience is different from game to game, but all else being equal, the prettier looking game will stand a much better chance of winning over the consumer. Men Compete, Women Compare Men generally prefer gameplay that involves direct competition and combat. Conversely, women seem to react much better to indirect competition or peer pressure. They don’t need to be the alpha of the pack, but they want to level-up to the same standing as their peers. These equations best illustrate the dynamics of men vs. women: • Men > Men • Women ≥ Women Five Female-friendly Themes Games with the following five themes—what we’ll call The Five Fs—generally appeal to women because they are aligned with what women are drawn to in real life: • Food • Friends/Family • Fido/Felines (Pets) • Fashion • Flowers/Farming Rising to the Challenge Catering to the new female casual market is not an impossible task, but certainly a challenge because we are essentially competing for women’s leisure time. The key for publishers who want to tap into this demographic is understanding the psychology of young females today compared to the traditional demographic of female gamers. Linny Cendana is the founder and CEO of Room Candy Inc., a six-year-old lifestyle consumer goods manufacturer/ wholesaler for women aged 20- to-35 years old. She is also the founder and CEO of Room Candy Games, a division of Room Candy Inc. that is focused on publishing games for the “new” casual game market, including browser-based games, social games, and games for iPhone/iPod Touch. Previously, Ms. Cendana spent five years on Wall Street in equity research covering the interactive entertainment sector. Linny can be reached at linny.cendana@casualconnect.org.