Girl Gamers Galore

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Two separate reports by Business Insider and M2 Research provide insight into the burgeoning female gaming market.

 

Business Insider’s Gillian Reagan breaks down an extensive study by TV network Lifetime. The network surveyed 1,000 women and reached out to game industry CEOs to uncover the size and characteristics of the female gaming market. Business Insider says Lifetime conducted the study to have data handy for its own game development efforts as well as share with its advertisers. Check it out at Business Insider.

 

M2 Research’s Wanda Meloni released an analyst brief this week titled The Next Frontier Female Gaming Demographics. In it, Meloni provides extensive data on female gamers flavored by insight from Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, and a string of social game makers. Read it at M2 Research.

EA Pulling In-Game Ads In House

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EA is preparing to handle ad placement in its games internally. Gamasutra reports that the company organized an event this week where it began pursuing partnerships for in-game advertisers directly. EA was seeking opportunities for upcoming titles in its NFL, NBA and FIFA sports franchises, as well as Need For Speed racing games and titles from wholly-owned social game maker Playfish. The effort effectively cuts out EA’s in-game ad partners IGA Worldwide and Microsoft subsidiary Massive Inc., which had previously handled these and other EA products. Gamasutra says EA also used the event to trumpet ad opportunities for products coming to Apple iPad tablet and Facebook, calling the latter the largest gaming platform in the world. Read more at Gamasutra.

Future UK Sprucing Up GameMaster

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Future Publishing is sprucing up its GameMaster brand. Edge-Online reports that Future UK is planning an extensive redesign for GameMaster, its first in six years for the multi-platform game magazine, as well as exploring bringing back the brand to British TV.  GameMaster had an eponymous TV show that aired on BBC Channel 4 in the mid-nineties. Future said it’s looking at the appetite for putting it back on air. The firm also said that included in the GameMaster revamp is a bigger focus on gamer communities gathered online and on console networks. Read more at Edge-Online.

‘Uncharted 2’ Award Spree At GDC

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Sony and Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 2: Among Thieves gathered five awards at the 2010 Game Developers Choice Awards.  As reported in Industry Gamers, the PlayStation 3 mega-hit was recognized as game of the year and collected awards for writing, visual effects, audio and best technology.  Scribblenauts, the Nintendo DS puzzle game from Warner Bros. and developer 5th Cell, also took home multiple awards for handheld game of the year and best overall innovation. For industry recognition, this year’s Choice Awards gave Doom creator John Carmack the Lifetime Achievement Award, Valve co-founder Gabe Newell the Pioneer Award, and the Penny Arcade gang the Ambassador Award.  Read more at Industry Gamers.

Social Category ‘Additive’ To Game Market, Says Playfish

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Writing for Edge-Online, Alex Wiltshire has a read-worthy recap of Playfish CEO Kristian Segerstrale s keynote at this week s Game Developers Conference. The head of the EA-owned social game maker sees the category as the biggest opportunity for industry growth, one he calls hugely additive rather than competitive to the traditional game market. Read it at Edge-Online.

 

Move For PlayStation

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Sony has pegged a name and released details for its PlayStation 3 motion controller. Edge-Online reports that the controller, which Sony has previously said will hit shelves this fall, will be named PlayStation Move. The controller consists of two devices similar to the Nintendo Wii Nunchuk and Remote setup, with Sony s version wirelessly connecting the two, and will need the PlayStation Eye to operate. Edge-Online says Sony is planning three packages for PlayStation Move, selling it as a standalone for those who own PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Eye, creating a PlayStation 3 bundle that includes the whole setup, and selling a PlayStation Move and Eye bundle with a game. The latter bundle, likely the most popular for those adding the device, will retail for under $100. Sony also shed some light on PlayStation Move games, listing 36 third-party developers currently developing for the device, and saying that there will be 20 first party titles compatible with it available this year. Edge-Online lists the third-party developers said to be making PlayStation Move games. Read more at Edge-Online.

MySpace Launches Game Platform

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MySpace is following rival Facebook s lead in putting some of its skin into social games. Industry Gamers reports that the social net has announced the launch of MySpace Games, a gaming platform with tools designed for both players and developers. Similar to Facebook’s Game Dashboard, MySpace Games is making it easier for players to find and share games. For game makers, the platform provides services such as analytical tools that MySpace said were created with input from its game development partners. Industry Gamers also reports that MySpace has released an iPhone app called Neon. The app lets people play social games offered through MySpace on their iPhone. Read more at Industry Gamers.