More On Line Of Games For Girls 05/19/95

Keywords: Bureau-SFO, NEWS Date: 19 May 95 19:18:25 GMT ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, U.S.A., 1995 MAY 19 (NB) --

While multimedia developers compete to offer 12 to 16-year-old boys the latest and fastest violent games, Patricia Flanigan is turning 180 degrees to stand-up and say it is time for young girls to have multimedia titles developed expressly for them. Games for Her, a division of American Laser Games, intends to develop an entire line of multimedia software for teenage girls.

"McKenzie & Company," the first title from Games for Her should be available this fall. To make sure she is covering all the bases, Patricia Flanigan, the visionary for Games for Her, says this new title will be available for IBM/compatibles, Apple Computer Macs, 3DO consoles, and the new Sony PlayStation.

Speaking about the company's first title, Flanigan told Newsbytes, "This is a live-action social adventure at an all-American high school. Users choose a role to play and are confronted with moral and social dilemmas which affect their relationships with girlfriends, boyfriends, parents, teachers and work. We went to a group of girls and boys to learn exactly what they thought would offer real and compelling teenage experiences and responses."

The McKenzie & Company story allows a girl to set herself into all sorts of situations surrounding honesty and relationships with oneself, friends, teachers and parents. It confronts a user with issues such as dating, cutting classes, advising friends, and spending too much money.

Flanigan also told Newsbytes, "A lot of people focus on young people playing computer games. What they often do not realize is that these games have been an entry point for many boys to become familiar and comfortable with computer technology. Because of the market trends, developers have concentrated on that male market. What I want to do is develop an environment which lets young girls have the types of experiences they find rewarding and offer them the same opportunity to become comfortable with technology."

She continued, "It is not important to judge whether the concentration on young boys is right or wrong. What is important is to move forward with a positive attitude and fix our focus on creating an experience which reflects the issues, feelings and thoughts important to teenage girls. Girls are more interested with emotions, sentiments, romance, relationships, responses and how one specifically interacts with others. It may not be easy to capture in the multimedia experience, but if we listen to what young girls want and not what the industry dictates, we will be successful."

Games for Her plans to release its second title later this year and four new games are planned for 1996. The division also announced a joint venture with Daniel Weiss Associates, Inc., a producer of books for children and young adults. The venture will concentrate on building an online component to compliment Games for Her and help expand the CD-ROM titles for girls. Her Online should be available this summer. Negotiations with online providers are taking place at this time.

(Patrick McKenna/19950518/Press Contact: Gail Rubin, Games for Her, tel 505-837-5406; Flanigan/HER950518/PHOTO)