Japanese marketers hunt for gamers moms

Before women's holidays (for example, before Mother's Day) the streets of Tokyo are traditionally decorated with advertisements of chocolate and flowers - this is quite normal for any metropolis. But there is a feature specific to Japan. One of the most frequently flashing ads looks very strange for a Westerner. This is an advertisement for the Nintendo DS handheld game console, which is sold complete with simple arcades, puzzles and the A Thousand Recipes interactive cookbook. The game console is offered as a gift to your beloved mother or grandmother.

And such a proposal is in demand. First, it is an original gift. Secondly, an unpretentious game console with a touchscreen really like moms and grandmas. This trend has appeared quite recently. Like many other trends, it originates in Japan, and then spreads to the rest of the world.

Since its launch in 2004, more than 16 million Nintendo DS have been sold in Japan, which costs about $ 160. This portable device is ideal for unpretentious games that are traditionally considered to be “female”: these are Tamagotchi of various types (for example, caring for a puppy), as well as primitive brain gum - crosswords and other puzzles that women like so much. Not surprisingly, the female audience began to gradually get involved in the market, which used to be exclusively male - the market of computer games.

Manufacturers immediately responded to this trend and started to release more and more new games especially for women of all ages: for teenage girls, young housewives and middle-aged moms. For example, educational games, such as a reference book on good manners, that is, on beautiful behavior in various life situations. Love games and flirt. The game for teenage girls “Love and Berry” has already become a real hit (over a million copies sold). We mentioned the recipe books for Nintendo DS: they also cost a million copies.
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According to some women, Nintendo DS - this is the first gadget, which is not ashamed to sit in public, for example, in the subway. He is quite stylish, not like the Game Boy, sharpened for boys (the girl will surely catch the surprised looks of others if she plays with this little boy device).

For women, the issue of style is the most important. Marketers understand this very well. In some supermarkets, special game sections with the sign "Girls' Style" have already appeared. On sale there are whole sets of elegant covers, handbags and other accessories that you can decorate the game console.

via Wired