Is the DS a chick system?

Maverick

Maverick

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A few weeks ago when I was adding adding games to the site, I noticed there are a lot of games for little girls on the DS. There actually might be more "girl" games on the system than "guy" games. Apparently, there must be a lot more new girl gamers out there than I realize. So, is the DS more of a chick system now?
 
there is a lot of SIM type games now...like there is a Baby sim, a horse sim, dogz sim... the list goes on and on. Ever since Nintendogs, there have been a ton of these games. But i think they appeal to a more female audience.
 
I don't know, for a while now, it's been looking like there are more female type games on the DS than ones geared towards guys (although, I guess that's more of an opinion than fact). To me, it's all about the games, and if the biggest percentage of the games are for chicks, then that it makes it more of a chick system. Perhaps outright calling the DS a chick system is a bit strong.

How big would the percentage of female centered games have to be in order for you to call it a girl's system? 60%, 65%, 70%, more? Is there another qualifier entirely?
 
I've never really thought about a system in terms of gender before. I'm a chick and I play games whose target audiences are usually guys. Obviously, that doesn't stop me from being a chick. To me the DS is a simulation system and an RPG system, and probably the most accessible system for all groups at this point in time. There's stuff like Brain Training and Cooking Mama etc. that will appeal to people who otherwise wouldn't get involved with the console or games in general.

I think that because there are a smaller amount of girls that enjoy games than guys who do, people are confusing a system that's for casual players with a system that's for girls. The DS is not targetted at guys or chicks. It's meant to be casual, pick-up-and-play accessibility, and that means a lot of games like Nintendogs that are more about wowing you with the capabilities of the DS than providing an in-depth gaming experience.
 
I completely agree with the poster above! I've never really thought that people would consider a gaming console to only be for a certain gender. I had a Nintendo DS in high school and no one ever really commented on the fact that it was too girly for me or something. Like mentioned, It's more like a pocket touchscreen game console. Maybe it appeals more to the girls/kids because of the fact it's touch screen and small. They would have less button's to push and it's more interactive then anything but that doesn't really explain all the baby, family, horse, pony simulators... I guess they are really trying to target the younger audience...
 
I'm not sure it's a good idea to base the games for the DS or 3DS system on a person's sex. Some males may like the 'chick' games. I'm not even sure what those are. I know there are games aimed at small children that are little girls if that's what you mean. However, on a more mature level, I don't see any sort of differentiation involved in the game marketing that has anything to do with the future player's gender or gender role. Frankly, if it was, it would probably be bad marketing; which is something nobody wants in the current economy.
 
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I think what you're considered "chick" games are really just around because they are cheap to make and make a lot of profit compared to what goes into them. There are a lot of them because it costs less to make many of them than it does to make one good game, and people buy them for their children, or for themselves if they are interested.

As a lady, I don't think I would find myself playing the games that this post seems to classify as chick games, though I would totally toss them at a young kid as a last minute birthday gift because I was too busy being a lady to plan ahead.
 
I suppose the design of the DS might be more appealing to female gamers, since it's more compact and could fit into a purse or bag easier. But other than that I don't really know any console exclusives which are more suited for "chick gaming"
 
Absolutely not! Do you have any idea how many guys walk around my school playing their DS's. It's mostly games like yugioh, pokemon, etc. But it's certainly not a "chick system". Anyone can play it. In fact, my wrestling boyfriend LOVES the DS and is constantly bugging me to play on it FOREVER.
 
Well, I can see where there misconception for it can come about, but Nintendo in general is pretty good at creating systems, games, etc. for all genders. Whenever I shop around for games for my 3DS I mostly find games that aren't geared towards a specific gender, but are inclusive to everyone.

Sure, there are some simulator games out there that are arguably female-focused, but those sort of games aren't necessarily hard to belt out. There are also more games out there for younger children, which is what some of those games are made for rather than a specific gender. However, typically girls and boys grow more drastically different once they reach double digits, then they merge again once they reach adulthood. This doesn't fit for everyone, but the gap for games strictly for male or female is usually the ones made for preteens and teens. For those you will see a very stark difference.

However, with Nintendo systems in general, as previously stated, they are really good at creating games for everyone. Even games where one gender may seem to be the focus is still balanced enough to where the opposite gender may want to play.

Now, if you were asking about app games for phones, Facebook, etc. then I would definitely say those are female oriented. Statistically, last I checked, the buyers for those are middle aged women. 3DS is all ages and all genders.
 
I know this is an old threat, but do people actually still think that the DS is a 'chick' system? And if so, why does it matter? I understand that current games such as Animal Crossing can make it seem like a 'chick' system, but even if it was considered that label, what's wrong with that? That doesn't make the DS bad or terrible. There are also a lot of 'boy-friendly' games out for the DS, too, such as Pokemon and Zelda...games which girls also play. Seriously, don't hold yourself back if a gaming system is considered to be for 'girls'. Screw stereotypes, just play what you want.
 
Honestly, I think so. The DS, DSi do relate more to women I think. However, the 3DS I think is more for everyone. They have so many more not chick games. I am hoping to get a 3DS soon but I do have a DSi right now. My sister even got one when I did because she thought it was so cool. The 3DS I think realized that they needed to change their games. I know kids tend to play the DS more but big kids like us want to play too. I mean I am 22 so they need to realize that I want something awesome.
 
I honestly don't think it is. I've had a DS Lite, DSi and DSi XL, and never once thought it was a "chick" system. If it is, then I must be weird, I play Animal Crossing too. There's plenty of games that are aimed at the male market, and plenty that are aimed at any audience. I think the DS platform was a great one for anyone to use.
 
I had never really considered consoles as guy or girl things. Games of course because I can't see many girls playing Leisure Suit Larry, likewise I can't see many guys playing the incredibly ridiculous amount of Barbie games. I also don't think sim games are necessarily a girl thing.
 
^^^^^Same. I have never heard of a console as being girly (girlie?). LMAO. What is it colored hot pink with ribbons all over it or something ? ;)
 
I don't see it as a 'chick' system, though indeed there where more female players because of nintendogs and such, so you might have point there. But my guess is that still most of the players are guys, it's just that the console is more open for girls.
 
If anything I think there's a lot of gender neutral games for the system as well as with Nintendo in general. At the end of the day everything is going to have it's shovelware for niche markets, I could probably dig up painfully girly games for every console. But in all reality, I'm a guy and I have "Animal Crossing", "Harvest Moon", "Nintendogs" and even a couple of things with box art that screams a game for girls like "Princess Debut" and "A Witch's Tale". They're all good games in their own right, they're just not your typical Call of Battlefield: Advanced Company 2 on other systems and consoles.
 
I think it's more of a neutral system as opposed to say the Vita which is clearly more geared towards male gamers than female gamers. I think if you're a girl looking to pick up a gaming system and are caught between a Vita or a 3DS you'd be better off picking up a 3DS over the Vita....but that doesn't make the DS a "chick" system because there's plenty of great games for males on the console.
 
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