The current gaming industry is male-dominated in its approach to providing games of interest to youth ages 8 to 18. Boys tend to be direct competitors, with very little interaction outside of the game itself. As such, most games are directed toward head-to-head competition, wherein the two opponents square off against each other. Very little conversation occurs between opponents.

Girls, on the other hand, tend to prefer games wherein there is little or no direct competition. Instead, girls tend to play the same game, but not against each other. Instead they want to pursue the same quest, but discuss the game, strategy, etc. with each other as they play. Group activity or social interaction (not teams or direct competition) forms the basis for the female gaming community.

Very few games exist that allow for the type of interaction desired by the female community. As such, girls tend to shy away from the computer as they get older (and outgrow Barbie). Phase One of this research will take a look at the social and technical skills of the 8-18 year old female community and document the type of gaming experience desired by these users. Once the gaming experience has been identified, Phase Two will define a set of rules that can be used by game developers to design new games targeted at the 8-18 year old female audience.