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Female gamers are an important segment for the game industry. According to the Entertainment Software Association, 40 percent of all gamers, like me, are women. So, understandably, Electronic Arts wants to tap that. However, their new attempt to woo female gamers features stereotypical, sparkle-blinged titles that harken back to the day when Nintendo failed miserably with Barbie [2], a game I wouldn't have been caught dead playing on my NES. Let me introduce you to the Charm Girls Club [1]. EA will release four CGC titles this fall, including Charm Girls Club Pajama Party for the Wii and three titles for the Nintendo DS: My Perfect Prom, My Fashion Mall and My Fashion Show. Oooh! And guess what else? One of the Charm Girls is blonde, one's a brunette, one's a redhead, and one's a token black girl! According to Sarah Handley, senior director of marketing for EA Play Label, "Charm Girls Club celebrates everything that's fun about being a girl [3]." Really? I mean, really? Fashion shows and slumber parties are everything that's fun about being a girl? Well, it's actually not everything. Girls can also compete to win shiny charms to put in their shiny charm boxes! Can somebody hand me a towel? I just puked in my mouth.
—Posted by Rebecca Cullers