Here at Melina Games, designing board games that women will love to play is one of our top priorities... because we ARE women who play board games. We know that developing "for women" doesn't mean making everything pink, and we've got a panel of Lady Gamers who have helped give us insight on what really does matter to make a board game female-friendly.
Kendra - More (STRONG!) Female Characters
I love playing mystery, fantasy, and role-playing games with cool stories, but sometimes it doesn't seem like there are enough strong female characters involved. Even if there happen to be female player characters, there often aren't many strong non-player females. One of my most frustrating examples is the "Girl" companion in Betrayal at House on the Hill. She's an entire whole person, but she cannot walk, talk, hold items, or do anything. This would be fine if all companions were like that, but the "Dog" companion can actually do things! Somehow a "Girl" is a useless object, with the only other equally useless companion being a "Madman." What if instead the girl could attack, research in the library to boost knowledge stats, or use items just like the regular player character?
Stephanie - More Clarity for Beginners
I'm a more recent gamer, because I had always considered it a "guy thing" until some friends of mine got me interested in the last couple years. The first few (several) times I tried playing strategy games, I felt like my head was spinning. The directions were all over the place, things weren't always explained clearly, and even the simplest detail had to searched for. My friends were fine with it; they had an idea of where to look or what the rules would most likely be based on their previous experiences. But as a new gamer, which a lot of female gamers tend to be, if I didn't have their expertise, I would have given up and never touched the box again. I'd like to see more games at this level offer clearer directions, perhaps including video tutorials or "beginner level" simplified gameplay to help slowly teach the dynamics so that newbs like me don't get overwhelmed.
Daina Wynot - 2 Player Gameplay
Most of my friends and I have fairly busy schedules (or just prefer staying home in our pajamas over going out.) That being said, I could play a 2-player game with my boyfriend any night of the week. Even though there are some out there, they tend to be quick-paced games that can get repetative after a while. I'd love to see challenging, story-based board games that can be played to their full potential with just me and my boo.
Lauren Dillon - Co-Operative Game Play
Whenever I try to play board games with more experienced gamers, there always seems to be someone who takes the competition a little too far. Not only does this sour the mood of the party, but the newer players (like female friends I've pushed towards trying board game night for the first time) who tend to be on the losing end, can get very discouraged. I wouldn't want every game to be co-operative, but I'd definitely like to have more options. It's a great way to ease someone into gaming, and helps the competitive natures die down a bit. Plus, I've found that female gamers like myself have high empathy ability, which can translate to major ass-kicking in the co-operative game play structure.
