Crispy Gamer News

We Cheer, a game that I prayed would never come and one that many of my male colleagues are secretly playing, has insidiously slithered into retail today exclusively for the Wii. This game, which charges players with “cheering” Players use the Wii Remote as virtual pom-poms (haha!) to perform choreographed routines to 30 hit songs from popular recording artists such as Hilary Duff, Natasha Bedingfield, Moby and Paramore.

Giving players the chance to show off their moves in a nationwide cheerleading competition, players use authentic cheerleading moves by following on-screen commands to complete choreographed routines.

I know this game is geared towards tween girls, but it scares the hell out of me. I keep imagining Scott Jones or John Keefer dressed like the Spartan Spirit Squad.

A new study by the NPD Group entitled “Girl Power: Understanding This Important Consumer Segment,” reveals that girls 2 - 14 years of age are spending more times playing games. This data is a no-brainer given the push by companies like Ubisoft to tap into the girl gamer market. This in and of itself is sad, because Ubisoft and other companies now catering to this demographic should really focus on creating games for age groups rather than pandering to gender.  Kids need more games like Drawn To Life and fewer games based on franchises like Bratz and Barbie. Of course, that’s just my opinion and I could be wrong.

According to NPD industry analyst, Anita Frazier, 50 percent of girls ages 2 - 14 years old still play with traditional gender-focused toys like dolls, arts and crafts and stuffed animals. The study also finds that the increase in the use of virtual worlds and social networking sites are not being properly monetized by publishers.