BBC Technology: The games industry is failing women by not producing suitable content, according to a senior executive at Electronic Arts (EA).
EA’s own research found that 40% of teenage girls played video games versus 90% of teenage boys and most girls lost interest in games within a year.
David Gardner, chief operating officer for EA’s worldwide studios, was speaking to a conference in Edinburgh.
“We are only reaching a small proportion – not only geographically but also genetically,” said Mr Gardner.
He said if EA cracked the problem the firm “could add a billion dollars to its sales.”
Mr Gardner said one of the biggest problems was that the content aimed at women gamers was not appealing.
“They don’t want ‘pink games’. They are not trying to play girly games where Paris Hilton and Britney Spears go shopping and put make-up on. “
He added: “One of the things that is going to make games for girls happen is creative teams. It’s going to be new people and experiments. Four of our 11 studios around the world are run by women. That’s an important start.
“Investing in new and upcoming talent is critical.”
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