Steps have already been made in the way of promoting and showing that women indeed do play games, evident by the Frag Dolls and Girlz of Destruction (Jamie Lee is featured in the article) and now finally people are starting to look at how to properly market games to women, because while the big breasted Lara Croft might appeal men to pickup the game, the same type of marketing scenario doesn't necessarily mean a woman would pickup the game.

From the article:

"The market that's been heavily plumbed is the young adult male market that likes scantily clad women and blowing stuff up," Enderle said. "And the market that hasn't been plumbed well at all is the female market in any age group."

Coming from an industry that isn't used to courting women, the first moves by video game makers have been awkward at best. Much was made of the Lara Croft character's breast reduction for this year's "Tomb Raider: Legend" -- her more athletic figure was supposed to attract female gamers. But the character still looks closer to a "Baywatch"-era Pamela Anderson than Hilary Swank from "Million Dollar Baby."

Sheri Graner Ray, a game designer and author who has been urging game companies to hire women since 1990, said video game females still feature engorged red lips and erect nipples -- while the corresponding male characters don't exhibit similar sexual characteristics. Even the art on the game packaging can be off-putting to women.

"If they (featured) male Chippendale dancers, or the guys in the Calvin Klein underwear ads, would you pick the box up? Probably not," Ray said. "And now you know why I don't pick up the box that has the chain-mail bikini babe on it."

Read the full article over at sfgate.com