EA, NBC getting together for girl gamers

Women apparently waste as much time playing stupid video games as men—or they will soon, thanks to the carpel-tunnel meisters at Electronic Arts and NBC Universal. EA’s Pogo.com and NBCU’s iVillage.com are creating a co-branded games channel designed to appeal mainly to women. “The number of women playing games online has clearly exploded, and we knew it was time for us to carve out a space where our members could play to their heart’s content,” iVillage properties COO Ezra Kucharz gushes in The Hollywood Reporter. I wasn’t cool enough in my youth to hang out at the local mall arcade ... but I did spend a few hours honing my skills at Blip, an early electronic tennis-type game. In fact, I still have a Blip console at home, and I’m officially challenging players of either sex. Or I would, if the damn thing worked. Geez, it’s a ’77 Tomy—practically a new model. Maybe we could just play some real tennis, get some fresh air and exercise. I’ll dig out my racket. It’s a ’76 Bjorn Borg Bancroft—practically a new model.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

March 1, 2007 | Permalink