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Retail experience draws women to AAPL?
Piqqem, a service that crowdsources stock picks, has some interesting demographic data about who says they're buying AAPL. Among female users, Apple is the most highly rated stock to buy. The lowest-rated stock is Dillards -- which leads to an interesting analysis by Alex Salkever, director of research and marketing at Piqqem. He says that focused specialty retailers are better at weathering the economic downturn so far than large department stores. "And while Apple has seen sales growth in its chain stores level off, I submit that a big reason why Apple has held strong is due to the attraction its products, stores, and services hold to women beyond the teenage years," he writes. Personally, I think linking womens' stock choice specifically to the retail experience falls somewhere between a little chauvinist and a little short-sighted. AAPL is also the most popular stock among all of Piqqem's users, for example. It certainly can't hurt Apple's business, though, to appeal to women, teens, and other key demographics with disposable income right now. Many analysts point to Apple's strong cash position as reason enough to buy AAPL. Indeed, Apple's stock price has recovered some since Macworld, and is trading around $98 a share. It's certainly shy of their 52-week high of $192 a share, but it's well off their 52-week low of $78.20.
This is your brain on PvP
Ars Technica has news of a new study that isn't directly World of Warcraft-related, but that does have some pretty obvious applications in Azeroth. By studying the way we play when we believe we're competing against a human and a computer opponent (PvP vs. PvE, in WoW terms), scientists have determined that different parts of the brain are more active when we think we're playing against a human opponent. They call this extra activity "mind-reading," but it's not that supernatural: when we think we're playing a human, we try to put ourselves in their place, and think what they're thinking.It gets deeper: they even throw gender into the mix, and discovered that male brains seem to be working harder to do this kind of "mind-reading" of the other side. Their conclusion says that that's because women are naturally more empathetic, and thus don't have to work as hard to figure out what another person is thinking. That seems a little general -- it could also mean that the males care more about competition, and thus are working harder to "mind-read," or it could even just be a wrinkle of the way this data was gathered. More research is probably needed on that one -- if women are so great at figuring out their opponents, why aren't we seeing all-female teams winning Arena tournaments?It would be interesting to know, too, whether there's increased activity in other areas, say pattern recognition or cause-effect centers of the brain, when we're playing against opponents that we know are computers. But this does tell us that there are definitely different skillsets at work when playing PvP or PvE, and why some people might very clearly enjoy one over the other.
Bandai's latest handheld helps women "understand" men
For the longest time now, we were under the impression that it was men looking for miraculous ways of understanding woman. Clearly, we've had the whole thing backwards. Bandai has apparently polled thousands of opinionated males in order to fill its latest handheld with data that woman aged 20 to 30 will pay ¥2,499 ($28) to know. In all seriousness, we can't imagine this thing having a very good search mechanism, so its actual usefulness is definitely questionable. One thing's for sure, though -- handing one of these to your SO / ex-lover with a smirk is guaranteed to get a rise.[Via ShinyShiny]
Ubisoft: Wii is, like, totally driven by girls
Nintendo's crusade to wrap casual and non-gamers alike into the gaming fold has drawn the attention of the Sooner State, with the Tulsa World reporting that the Wii's unstoppable sales have much to do with the gaming habits of the fairer sex. Specifically, Ubisoft's senior brand manager Ann Hamilton tells the newspaper that "what's driving the Wii sales is the use of Wii by women, girls and families." It's a sentiment that's shared among other organizations, including Tulsa-based developer Tornado Studios (Medal of Honor: Allied Assault), which notes that since the debut of the Wii and DS the company has seen "a much higher influx of female gamers." Even so, while we applaud efforts to put controllers -- any controllers -- in the hands of the women, we just wish the industry wouldn't continue to vomit shovelware into the market under the guise of good intentions.[Via Endsights]
Study: EverQuest II population may be 40% female
Shocking news: The half-naked human (elf, or cat-thing) female dancing for tips in the main city of your favorite MMORPG might actually be played by a real woman. The BBC reports on a study by researcher Scott Caplan at the University of Delaware, which examined gender differences in 2,400 EverQuest II players, and found that 40% of the gamers were female.Although 40% does sound awfully high, it does help alter the stereotype of the genre which has a bunch of middle-aged men living in their parents' basements. Caplan says the perception of video games is in a "cultural time lag" and that people are still ascribing decade-old stereotypes to video game players.Caplan also found an unusually high level of female bisexuality in the survey group, which was apparently "five times higher than the general population." Another thing Caplan found was that the women's self-reported exercise regimes and body mass indexes were better than the general population. We suddenly imagine subscription numbers for EverQuest II going way up as boys clamor to hit it off with a glamazon.[Via Evil Avatar]
Mobile Edge 'fashion-inspired' TSA-friendly laptop bags for her are not very inspiring
We've seen Mobile Edge's ScanFast line of TSA-approved laptop bags before, so it was only a matter of time, we suppose, until there was a spate of the cases specifically for women. What does it mean, then, to be a laptop bag that is "designed for women by women?" Well, it helps to be pink or have faux alligator skin (or is that croc?) detailing, we can tell you that much. Regardless, the company is announcing three "fabulous" products: the Onyx Briefcase, the Onyx Backpack and the Element Briefcase, each coming in the three different color / style schemes. They're going to be available later this month, and sell for $99.99 each -- Chihuahua named Princess Sparklepants wearing a ballerina costume not included.
EA's Board of Directors breathes in Oxygen founder
Geraldine Laybourne, the founder of women's cable television channel Oxygen, has joined the Board of Directors at Electronic Arts. Prior to creating television programs that pander to the fairer sex, Laybourne also worked for Nickelodeon, where she was instrumental in launching the station's window into the past that is Nick at Night. While it's pure guesswork as to whether this move was more driven by Laybourne's business savvy or EA's continued interest in putting games in front of women, families and tweens, we imagine that both played a vital role in getting the TV exec to hop on board.
Men are from the Horde, women are from the Alliance
Sanya Thomas continues a look into the demographics behind all of you World of Warcraft players -- last time around, we examined gender and how players measured up in the Bartle test (and crashed their servers -- sorry about that), and this time, it's all about the Horde and the Alliance, and why and when players choose a faction. No surprises until the very end -- the majority of players in game (though I swear it's become less of a majority since the game's launch a few years ago) choose Alliance, whether it's because of a "human bias," or just because they've usually been the heroes, and gamers tend to play with their friends.But things get more interesting when you start putting classes and gender into the mix. Women are pushing the average on Alliance side (men even out around 58/42, but women prefer to "grab their sword and fight the Horde" at 65/35). And when you compare the classes to faction choice, as above, then the stats really start showing signs of life:clearly, women prefer Alliance Druids (and when you look at the Druid forms, there's no question why). You can see the Alliance/Horde separation in the Hunters (that's all those Night Elves), and you can see the gender separation again in the Priests. And the Warriors probably have the weirdest stats: Men play more Warriors overall, but the gender gap is even wider on the Horde side. While there are some women playing Horde Warriors out there (I know an Orc played by a female that will tank anything you can throw at her), Horde Warriors are much more likely to be men.Very interesting. Keep in mind, as last time, that these gender numbers aren't character genders -- they're self-identified on the gamerDNA site, so we can be reasonably certain that we're looking at an (at least slightly) realistic stack of data here. There's probably lots more data to be explored, too -- it would be interesting to see what Blizzard knows about their players that we don't. What class, for example, logs in the most on any given week?[via Massively]
GameStop's new 'Me Time Anytime' program targeted at women
Let's get the obvious joke out of the way: The original name for the new GameStop initiative was "Let's Try to Get a Woman Into GameStop Maybe."GameStop has announced a new program called "Me Time, Anytime" in which customers are encouraged to come into one of 1,500 US GameStop locations and try out the DS and its games. From 11a.m. to 2p.m. on October 18 (otherwise known as "not anytime,") this special demo station, called the "Me Time Test Drive" will be available, and employees will, of course, be on hand to answer questions.In addition, seven GameStops in major cities (see the press release for locations) will host Marquee events from 10a.m. to 6p.m. which will include "refreshments and music" as well as prizes. Nintendo representatives will be present to "help with your Nintendo DS needs." According to the press release, GameStop stores have already started handing out "designer carrying cases" with purchases of a DS console and a new game.We don't think transparently desperate promotions and free refreshments are going to do anything to bring more people into GameStop. For future events, we'd suggest "We Won't Make a Big Deal Out of It When a Woman Comes In" day and "You Probably Don't Want a Preorder, a Warranty, or a Discount Card, So We Just Won't Bother You About It" day.GameStop can't take all the blame for this futile, vaguely exploitive promotion. The presence of Nintendo reps at the larger events, as well as the way the "Me Time" name ties so nicely in with Nintendo's own "I Play for Me" campaign suggests that it is a coordinated effort between the retailer and Nintendo.
Study shows 43% of college women prefer Macs
"Hi, I'm a Mac. And I'm a PC." -- You've probably heard those words more than a few times. Apple has been airing the "Get a Mac" commercials for a few years, and from the looks of it, the ads have been fairly successful. But has it really helped spread the word that Mac is better?iPhone Savior recently surveyed seven college women at a school in British Columbia (Canada) and found that almost half of them said they preferred a Mac over a PC. They note that their research on the subject was ended early due to "several unfriendly encounters with campus security."Numbers don't lie ... and Apple has the numbers (quite literally) on their side. Recently, Apple's market share jumped to almost 8.2% for notebook users. That's just amazing (especially for such difficult economical times).Please note: The iPhone Savior survey is very limited in statistical terms of population, and because of this, the data is probably skewed slightly. We should also note that before you take a poll on a college campus, make sure you're a student or have clearance from the proper school officials. That being said, feel free to take part in our own poll on this issue.%Poll-20789%
UC Irvine studies differences between Chinese and US players
Our good friends at the OC (don't call it that) Register have an article up about how the University of California at Irvine has received a grant to study the differences between US and Chinese players of World of Warcraft. And the differences are fairly interesting: apparently US players use many more UI mods and addons than Chinese players do. Additionally, more Chinese players play the "more challenging version of the game" (seems like they mean PvP servers to us, though that may change with yesterday's big news), and Chinese players, say the researcher, tend to talk more about color schemes and architecture than American players. Finally, the demographics are fairly different -- here in the states, women make up 20 percent of the playing audience, and in China that number is almost halved. And while people here may play with parents or even grandparents, in China, the older generation isn't interested in the game at all.These observations seem more to be based on anecdotal evidence of Chinese players in cafes more than anything else, but the study is just getting started, so maybe with some more research they can come up with some more solid numbers (or even more reasons) showing why this is the case. But it's interesting that inspecting how people play this game in two different countries can reveal something about the cultural differences between each.
Overheard@E3: "Check out all these girls playing games!"
When the doors of the E3 showfloor first opened, herds of eager game industry denizens rushed inside to set up stations at kiosks to try their hands at the new wares. One small gaggle of gaming journalists from a world where women must not exist gawped and said "Check out all these girls playing games!" Keep in mind, this was after seeing two women playing games at one console.Two girls, one console. Yes, apparently women play games.
Nintendo holding DS 'Tupperware' parties [Update 1]
Nintendo is constantly being praised for its marketing of the DS (and Wii) to non-gaming demographics, yet not all of the techniques used by the company are breathtakingly modern or anything. Case in point: these DS-themed parties, which NBC reckons are modeled on Tupperware parties, a decades old concept that first appeared just after the Second World War.The idea is straightforward enough: gather a selection of "hot, hip alpha females," sling them a free DS (!) and a crate of Lambrini, and let them spend their Friday evening playing Mario Kart DS, Brain Training, and Nintendogs with their tipsy friends. Nintendo hopes that the women involved will go away and chat non-stop to their other alpha friends about the wonders of the DS. It appears to be working, as well. "What's better than hanging out with my girl friends to drink wine and play games?" gushes one participant.Well, we can't think of anything.[Update 1: Edited last sentence][Via Game With A Brain]
He Said/She Said: It's a man's WoW
Welcome to another edition of He Said/She Said where Amanda Dean and David Bowers take on some of the deepest gender issues in the World of Warcraft universe. This time we discuss the expectations of men and women in guilds and how WoW reflects the larger society. Amanda: I don't know how many times I've heard of women flirting their way into raids or excellent gear. Perhaps this happens in some cases, but these are the bad apples. I find myself growing kind of tired of the stereotype that girls can't play WoW. The truth is that many women play WoW, and many of us are very good at it. Because of the stereotypes, A lady has to work considerably harder in a guild to earn respect. It's like being guilty of being a twit until proven otherwise.
Wii Fit tagged with an expensive, undeserved bill
A poll from the UK insurance firm Sheilas' Wheels analyzed the exercise habits of women, and the potential disaster area that has become their homes. Despite the initial "ZOMG Wii Fit destruction!" outcry from the mass media, the details of the poll really don't have much to do with Nintendo at all.The general response criticizes massive damage caused by these women knocking over junk as they worked out on Wii Fit. On average, £6.55 per person was the estimated dollar (that is, pound) value of destruction, or a whopping £20 million worth total. Wii Fit, you've got some 'splaining to do!Or, not. Wii Fit isn't responsible for the damage at all, and the original release from Sheilas' Wheels merely mentions the popularity of Wii Fit and Nintendo in general -- then immediately states the most popular home exercise method is watching an instructional video or DVD. Sure, the Wii has been responsible for some breakages in the past, but tacking the £20 million sum anywhere near the Balance Board is just poor form. Read over the official Sheilas' Wheels news article before subscribing to the Wii Fit Angry Mob newsletter.Finally, the results explain that the survey was conducted to gather home damage estimates over the past year. Wii Fit has only been out in the UK for a month. The math doesn't add up, and a genuine attempt to gather information on home exercise routines has been misrepresented. Besides, if Wii Fit was solely to blame, what have the women been doing to smash up their stuff during the 11 months before it was released? If you guessed cleaning the kitchen, sewing and baking cookies for the men, you would be correct.%Gallery-4745%
New AoC trailer promises gender equality in ass-kicking
"They say it's a man's world -- is it, baby?" - Keaira, as she ruthlessly plunges a blade through a man's heart. A new trailer called "Femme Fatale" shows off the lethal women of Age of Conan, and why you will want to stay on their good side. Keaira is the star, and she and other Hyborian lasses do their part in making sure no one underestimates the fairer sex in AoC. Check out the embedded clip above (rated M for Mature), or visit the community site to download the trailer at a higher resolution. The time to shred the veil is here!
Ubisoft announces unimaginative 'Imagine Rock Star'
Say what you will about Ubisoft's Imagine line of games (targeted at girls aged 6 to 14), they're generally pretty original. There are precious few game makers trying to tap into the figure skating, fashion designing, and animal healing segments of the burgeoning DS game market. Unfortunately, the same can't really be said for Ubisoft's latest Imagine game announcement, Imagine Rock Star.Not to focus on the negative, but when Imagine Rock Star comes out in June, it will bump up against a veritable cornucopia of competing DS rhythm games, including a couple that have a very similar premise of multiplayer, "join a band" action. We don't want to sell it short before we see it, but we find it hard to "imagine" (ha!) that this game will bring something new to a genre that's already getting a bit overcrowded. Especially when the "ability to customize the look of each band mate in order to become the most stylish rockers" is a major selling point. Then again, we aren't girls aged 6 to 14, so what do we know?
Women of the Agency
MTV Multiplayer's Tracey John sat down with the female members of SOE's The Agency team to talk about not only their upcoming MMO (which looks hot), but what it's like to work in what John calls a "male-dominated field." While it's true that much of the videogame market is still dominated by men, there has been quite a bit of inroads made in terms of female developers in the MMO genre-- DDO's Senior Producer Kate Paiz jumps to mind, but from NCSoft to Bioware to Linden Labs, there is now quite a bit of female representation on MMO and RPG development teams.Most of the talk centers around "G.I.R.L.," short for "gamers in real life," which is a program set up by Sony to "educate and recruit women in the videogame industry." They do say that they don't feel they've faced many challenges because of their gender, and considering that the gaming audience has changed quite a bit in the past few years, that's not really a surprise. But they have had to make a few woman-specific calls as developers, like making sure a female outfit in The Agency didn't show off a characters' bra line.Interesting read, if only to see how far women have come into the field of videogame development, and yet how much farther there is to go.
Meet guys at the Apple Store
I believe that a good percentage of our staff here at TUAW is married, female, or both, so being the bachelor that I am, I'll be the one to post the news that Apple Stores are a great place to meet single men, sent to us by reader Naveed (and I do believe this might be the first and hopefully the last time that TUAW has ever linked to Cosmo). Yes, Cosmopolitan ranks the Apple Store as the number one place for women to meet guys (although it is on the same long list as political rallies and steakhouses, so maybe Cosmo has no idea what it's talking about).But hey, the single male bloggers of TUAW can't help but agree that yes, if you're going hunting for us, there's no better place to go than your local Apple retailer. Not only are us male Mac-heads intelligent, green, and playful, but when you single ladies want to know how to share your iTunes media, or hook up your new Time Capsule, we'll be right there with the answer.
Study shows men's brains hard-wired for games
When it comes to gaming, the popular perception is that it's a man's domain. (Of course, you'd be hard pressed to make that point around Massively HQ, as many of our most prolific writers and senior bloggers are of the fairer sex.) Traditionally, this has been pinned on sociological factors that discourage women from developing as close a relation with computers as men. While there is still probably a kernel of truth to that, a new study out of the Stanford University School of Medicine points to biological factors hard-wired into the brain as the cause. Reportedly, MRI scans taken of both men and women while playing a simple game showed a marked difference in the areas of the brain responsible for feelings of reward and addiction. Men simply got more of a buzz out of games than women, by and large.What amused me was the description of the game they used in testing, which they described as having no real prescribed goal -- the test subjects simply clicked a series of images depicting balls as they slowly approached a wall. The more quickly they clicked the images, the more ground they gained. Without any instruction, the men in the study "appeared more motivated to acquire terrain." No real prescribed goal? Players motivating themselves to acquire terrain? Feelings of reward and addiction? If I didn't know any better, I'd swear they were using an MMO for that study! At the same time, short of casual Popcap-style games, MMOs probably enjoy one of the highest female to male ratios in the industry, so I'd stop short of saying that sociology has nothing to do with it. Still, very interesting stuff.
