MCV

Bah! I never encountered a guy or a teenage boy who did not want girls to be playing video games. If a boy was from elementary school, it would be different, they don't want any girls anywhere around them.

Why is the cover pink? Not all girls are obsessed with pink.

you are forgetting that pink is the marketting colour for girls, just like red is for boys.

While I do like pink (and just received my pink 360 pad today) I can't help but think this is somewhat patronising.

Might have to buy, though; so...pink...

Well I for one am glad that they have finally recognised that girlies do enjoy to play, as much as the boys. Since Nintendogs came out and the WII was released I am hooked - didn't like the excessive amount of shoot 'em ups, strategy and football games that only ever raised their heads previously. I can finally immerse myself in good honest fun that I never had as a kid !!! Good on you for thinking of the market as a whole and giving us girls a look-in.

I personally think that pink is pretty cool - have you looked at the fashion in the shops lately - everything is going Pink and black - also, why do you think the DS has come out in pink ! to get girlie attention, not to patronise anyone. I suppose you can only please most of the people some of the time and it's the content that matters not the cover colour - go get 'em black dog.

I hope that they include some info on fps games and not just focus on nintendogs. I like passive happy games most of the time but sometimes its nice to just take a shotgun to you bf in halo. (with a pretty pink controller of course)

This is admittedly one of the most sexist things I have seen since the 70's. It's appalling to me as a gamer, apart from as as a female, that some people still believe that girls should need a 'guide to ga*****specially one that is so patronisingly different to any generic guides provided for everyone else. We have always had the manuals and guides provided with the equipment, which was not aimed selectively at males or females. If this is the current fashion, designed by whom? Females like myself were probably coding and gaming before these designers were born. Why do we need something to be produced in pink before we are permitted to use it. Intolerable. Joshua you are right, the door to games was always open to girls, it just wasn't painted pink.

Probably just introduce girl pads with less buttons too.

I feel I have to point out why the guide is pink. I don’t think that they are trying to patronise women I believe its because the DS is the fastest selling hand held ever and it just so happens to be PINK. So why not make a guide to accompany the DS? I did a bit of research and the colour pink is rated as the most popular colour for girls and more importantly girls that the guide is targeting at (8 to 16), although I know girls of all ages will love it. If the guide was yellow or black do you believe it would stand out above all the rest of the guides? As for it being called the girls guide to gaming, I believe it’s to embrace and welcome girls to gaming who might have previously seen it as a boys domain. Girls might even have wanted to play but felt that some boys would see it as strange I know I did when I was 12. I would also highlight that the games that it covers are more popular with the girl rather than the average boy who likes his shoot’em-up. At the end of the day its a book not a political statement and I plan to buy my sister one.

Exactly Craig B.

For anyone to take this as shot at girls who play games is just asinine. So what the cover is pink, it's just a good marketing technique. If this were intended for boys, you'd have someone's decapitated head on the cover and that wouldn't be patronizing the boys who are into that kind of games.
Besides, there are girls out there that are just getting into gaming and its for them.

@AGradepupil

Are you kidding me? What, is there somewhere in the book where a girl is beaten by a guy? The most sexist? You must not read much because there are worst things in the world.

I understand where you are coming from, but I think it's sad that people don't see the repeating cycles that fashion takes.

We are being manipulated into believing certain gender stereotypes on a regular 10-20 year basis, and you need to be able to look back over several cycles of fashion to be able to recognise this.

Separating out guides aimed at females and making out our gaming needs or potential abilities are so different is actually sexist - even if the intention is benign, or well-meaning. The sad thing is that the target market is too young to recognise it.

If you buy one for your sister, are you really trying to understand her needs? or do you just not know how else to communicate your hobby to her? She may be grateful, or she be embarrassed about it. Only you know how 'tuned' in she is to the latest pointer the fashion wheel.

Sorry to b cynical , but hey!