The Wii is a console that appeals to a variety of players. In fact, it's pretty much the only modern console my girlfriend has any interest in playing. Check out some of her favorite games for the Wii, all of which are sure to appeal to female gamers.
The Nintendo Wii has something of a reputation for appealing to the non-traditional gamer. At the risk of delving too deeply into stereotypes, these so-called “casual” gamers usually include young children, older adults, and females, basically anyone outside the so-called “hardcore” gamer set.
My girlfriend is certainly someone who fits into this category. For her, the heyday of gaming was the Super Nintendo era. She’s always found the Xbox and Playstation controllers to be overly-complicated and uninteresting, and that has prevented her from enjoying any of our modern consoles.
That is, except for the Nintendo Wii. While memorizing complicated button layouts sounds like one of Dante’s circles of Hell to her, she absolutely loves the simplicity of the Wii’s motion controls and straightforward button placement. The Wii has quickly become her system of choice.
So, while it would be presumptuous of me to simply write an article about “games for girls,” I feel I can, with her help, safely convey some of her personal favorites without incurring feminist wrath.
The following are games that she finds very appealing.
Animal Crossing: City Folk
My girlfriend absolutely loves to decorate. Knowing this, I introduced her to Animal Crossing. For those unfamiliar with the game, players in Animal Crossing have no real goal to work towards. They spend their time collecting bugs, catching fish, buying new furniture and wallpaper, and working toward paying off a slumlord raccoon so that they can upgrade their houses.
There is no urgency to Animal Crossing. Players are able to spend their time as they wish, there is no rush to pay back your mortgage, the only real motivation for doing so is to improve your house.
While I work furiously to pay off my mortgage and earn the highest possible score from the Happy Room Academy, my girlfriend enjoys decorating her house, planting flowers, and keeping the town free of weeds. She is also fond of catching bugs and fish, but I suspect that has more to do with the “cute” owl at the museum to whom you deliver your catch.
Animal Crossing: City Folk is one of our favorite Wii games to play as a couple.
"I love Animal Crossing because it's like creating my own little world."
Guitar Hero Series
Music games are one genre that seems to transcend genders, and our house is no exception. We absolutely love jamming out to some great music while playing together.
Like Cake Mania, Guitar Hero is less about an involved narrative and more about developing a specific skill and shooting for those high scores. You can play in small, bite-sized chunks or lose an entire afternoon.
She loves Guitar Hero because playing it makes her feel like an actual guitarist. She also enjoys the ability to customize your character offered by the latest game in the series, Guitar Hero World Tour.
"It's fun because I can unlock stuff and keep going, while rocking out at the same time."
Check out page two for a fast-paced arcade-style game and an all too familiar blast from the past.