Something I noticed in gamestop.(important)

[Bodhesatva]

I don't think there's any doubt that games like CoD4 heavily lean towards the male demographic. That doesn't mean that SOME girls don't play -- there are some -- but I wouldn't be surprised it if it were 85/15 male/female. Given that there are over 3 million people now with either the 360 or PS3 version of CoD4, that's actually almost half a million girls playing COD4... but it's still heavily disproportionate.

This is a notion I want to dispel because it's a core disconnect between hardcore gamers and reality. In general, it's a common failing in young males -- we tend to believe that everyone would like what we like if they just got it. Some people think that everyone would love Final Fantasy, Call of Duty, Halo, and Metal Gear if they just sat down and played it, if they just understood it; that simply is.not.true. Lots of people honestly, genuinely, and totally lack interest in these games, including most girls, and in most cases including me. For example, I remember Leo-J just constantly telling me to play Kingdom Hearts once I got a PS3, and he kept persisting even when I made it clear repeatedly that I don't like RPGs. It's just unfathomable to some that people don't like this crap; surely, they just haven't tried the right game. Surely they just weren't given enough time with the game, or the graphics aren't good enough, or something.

No. Stop. By and large, girls don't like blowing stuff up, okay? Of course there are exceptions, but the general rule is never going to change. Here's a simple reversal of the question: can you ever imagine playing with dolls? Some guys do, but I bet most of us here can confidently say that we'd never have any interest in it. Now imagine that girls feel the same way about FPS/RPG/blowemup/sliceemup games. Just try to imagine that people honestly, genuinely, really, absolutely and entirely do not like the games that you like. It isn't because they haven't tried it, it isn't because they don't "get it," and it isn't because they're too stupid to understand complex games; they just do not like what you like, any more than you like dolls or playing crochet.