Why "Girl Games" Aren't What You Think

[@strawberrysprite]

i want to know the thought process behind whichever nintendo employee decided on the name “vibe sceptre”

[@awwsda]

Crossover! my two fav under rated you tubers in one place!

[@QerstyBass]

"😏"

[@haruhisuzumiya6650]

It's for a Vibe check 😂

[@bluebaron6858]

Get your mind out of the gutter!

[@robothingy]

i think the term "cozy game" has certainly broadened in meaning recently to just mean a game that's generally low-stress, gameplay and mechanics wise. while the 'nonviolent' label certainly applies to original/classic cozy games like stardew & animal crossing, i've seen cult of the lamb being labeled as cozy despite it's themes of manipulation, murder, and devotion. it helps that CoTL has a huge amount of accesibility options regarding gameplay, which entices a more casual audience, even those who wouldn't normally play rougelites [including cozy gamers!] i do think that the 'repetitive tasks' bit is still an important hallmark of a cozy game though. anyways, great video! keep up the good work.

[@robothingy]

i also think that aesthetics also plays a bit of a key role in whether or not a game is considered 'cozy' or not, though it's more abstract without any specific areas you can point to, just generally focusing on 'cute' or 'pretty' graphics.

[@tiaralcu]

not an extra hour with the vibe scepter😭😭😭

[@Luuuluuuu]

love that you never look at the camera it’s giving david byrne not blinking during performances

[@djshogun9527]

shes reading the script

[@rex-mu3yd]

no style savvy?? i feel like all style savvy games are soo important to girl gaming, i know when i first started playing them when i was like 8 it was the first time i played a girly game and actually felt like there was a challenge. of course over time style savvy does get easy once you've mastered how the game works but it was so enjoyable to dress characters up and actually recieve critique instead of other dress-up games that most of the time just let you do whatever..

[@piperaceae1]

It is an actual crime that there hasn't been a style savvy for the switch even as it is in the twilight of its lifespan. And no, Fashion Dreamer is fine but not the same flavor.

[@eekcm23]

Not a man, but I thought your comment about dark souls was interesting because I don't find the game anxiety inducing and I'm definitely not good at it. I never understood why men, when playing those games, scream at their TV and throw their controllers. It really feels pretty relaxing to take in the beautiful playspace and play dress up with my character, entirely unafraid of dying because it's certain to happen at some point. No uncertainty, anxiety free, it's great.

[@blackhoggaming]

You’re lying. There’s no way

[@ChrisPoindexter98]

Speaks to the many varied experiences a game can provide, plus your attitude seems perfectly good for such a game, which takes a lot for some but thankfully seems to come naturally for you.

[@no_misaki]

I mean i'm a dude and feel mostly the same. Even harder ones like bloodborne I find to be these immersive, chill adventures where i'm tackling everything at my own pace and death is more a part of the cycle than something to be stressed about. I find a cool weapon? It's part of my build now. FInd a lame one? Who cares, there'll be something more interesting around the corner. Find some new swag? Time to play mix and match with the rest of my wardrobe for 20 minutes until I find the magic combo i'm satisfied with 😅

[@caseyogden7105]

EXACTLY THIS! why do people feel so frustrated in such a low stakes game, i never understood. my first souls game was ds3 that i got when i was 16 and my mum told my hairdresser because hed mentioned the game in passing before and the first thing he said was "expect a lot of shouting and swearing coming from her room", i have never once screamed or shouted playing a dark souls game and ive 100% all of them (sekiro is my fav as i also love rhythm games lol).

[@ziabasu4169]

i'm a girl and i love dark souls. they're really hard to get into but they make u concentrate a lot. it's really cozy to be in the zone like that for me. it's calming ahah ^^

[@sophitiaofhyrule]

100% agree on your Peach Showtime opinions! I don't understand why people want every game to be hard and stressful.

[@Heliosphan15]

because people like challenges that are rewarding

[@salems_lot]

​@@Heliosphan15 and some people like relaxing games with low stakes :)

[@lilypadqueen]

*vivid flashbacks of you calling “charcooooal” over and over*

[@Lynn17]

Super Princess Peach was a damn good game. The arguments that it's a stereotype for a woman to fight with her emotions miss the point: she can CONTROL her emotions, while her male friends got captured because one hit from the Vibe Scepter and they couldn't stop crying and freaking out. Showtime is only too easy if you're not a completionist, lol. I nearly lost my mind trying to get all the Sparkle Gems and ribbons, and some of those bosses aren't messing around! But it was fun because one, Peach, and two, you got to leap into a different genre multiple times per floor. It's like an Isekai, almost.

[@Prince_Of_Fish]

i did not realise these games ive loved my whole life were girly games, I will have to keep a blanket over my head whilst I'm playing the new Peach game or something ooh, Im also patiently waiting for a Princess Daisy game, I lost my mind when she was playable in Mario Wonder, I had to fight my girlfriend for who got to play her.

[@Chloe4656.]

I need to get that new peach game as I remember not being into girly stuff such as the colour pink as examples.

[@witchandrabbit]

you've convinced me to redownload pocket camp, i'm holding you accountable if i get addicted again. Also this is your best video yet! I laughed so much

[@StarmenRock]

Theres like 3 things to do now thats abandoned.. even emulating new leaf on mobile citra feels better

[@jefferyjones8399]

I really liked Princess Peach Showtime. It was a lot of fun

[@user-gm8ul9ky6t]

if you like: ```````````````````````````` you should play: princess peach showtime ------ kirby‼️‼️💯 ('s epic yarn, star allies, and forgotten land r my favorites) stardew valley ------------------------ little wood animal crossing --------------------- cozy grove +bonus: a short hike coffee talk spiritfarer

[@Airsaber]

And if you like Coffee Talk, you should play VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action. ^_^ I have a feeling there would be no Coffee Talk without Valhalla.

[@carrillmunnings525]

On this subject, I recommend looking into the Style Savvy series and maybe also the Nikki games like Love Nikki, Shining Nikki, and Infinity Nikki.

[@oziphantom9465]

why does everybody who talks about Stardew Valley fail to mention it's a Harvest Moon clone. The series that has been around since the SNES, and was on the SNES/N64/GC/Wii/Switch GB/C/A/DS/DSi/3DS PS1/2/P/3/4/5 Xbox One/Series and then has spin off Rune Factory. While they did mostly have a male protagonist there are the "Cute" versions of some of the older games that didn't let you select which gender you want to play as, but also some of the older ones such as Harvest Moon 2 for the GBC which did have the option to choose your gender. Modern games let you be LGBT but there are some "True Love" edition hacks for some older games that give you an LGBT version as well.

[@eyess6694]

0:20 she got a nice pump going and resumed filming

[@songmaster74]

I know this might be controversial but I almost feel like minecraft mightve made a good addition. I think its probably a 50/50 player base split but some of the most dedicated builders / singleplayer players ive ever met are women. I think its a weird one bc some parts of the game like pvp are very male dominated but I think building, survival, and amount of time played is dominated by women . love the video !!!!!

[@randymoon]

i did consider talking about minecraft but it didn’t end up making the cut!

[@Badusername2000]

im siding with the girls on this one, cant stand pvp, gimme some basic survival any day

[@rubygloomz]

i'm honestly really hoping that the new zelda game that was just announced-- echos of wisdom, with playable zelda instead of link-- doesn't fall into the peach issue where the game is significantly easier than the rest of the series🙃

[@bitwize]

I've given it a bit of thought, and since Daisy is a tomboy and appears mostly in sports games, it would be cool if the Princess Daisy game had her fight using sports themed powers, with soccer balls, baseball bats, and the like as weapons. I will have to revisit Super Princess Peach. I gave it a skip because of its weird emotion-based theming back in the day, but it seems that Princess Peach is the character _most in control_ over her emotions, so that's an interesting wrinkle. And the graphics are really cute and very Nintendo. Another interesting series of games definitely aimed at girls is the Space Channel 5 series. The designer, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, was really going for a different vibe from the usual shoot and kill things milieu. The main character, Ulala, adds aliens and their prisoners in need of rescue alike to her entourage, effecting a more feminine victory and making the player feel like the center of attention and the star of a musical. Plus the graphics are way cute and the music is funky. I had a lot of fun with these "girl" games.

[@mysticdigital5936]

I never played Space Channel 5 but I loved Ulala in Sega Superstars Tennis and Allstars Racing. Her style is out of this world and the aesthetic of the court/tracks themed after her game was so good

[@bingonight1504]

Im not sure if there are demographic stats for this game but I feel I can vouch for Cult of the Lamb as a game me and all the girlies love (especially since the eugenics update)

[@ph5.484]

This and the previous video really resonate with me as someone who grew up as a girl. It's complicated balancing my rejection of gender essentialism and my own gender identity with my natural gravitation towards 'cosy' tasks even in games with a focus on combat (SV is basically a cute Pokemon breeding sim to me and collecting clothing items is usually a big drive for me to engage in hardcore content). Having said that, I think tasks like these are more universal than we might think - everyone who plays FFXIV knows that 'glamour is the true endgame', regardless of gender, and r/FashionSouls exists for a reason. One thing that stands out to me about these quality 'girl games' is that while they're often seen as casual, I think the systems can get pretty complex if you choose to engage with them to their fullest extent - and many women do. Min-maxing is a gender neutral practice!

[@Symphetix]

I 100% unironically admire that you lean fully into blatantly reading your script of the screen.

[@pastaman64]

23:11 i was watching this video past 1am, dozed off and then woke up to this

[@atlas956]

i really, really loved princess peach showtime! for me it seemed like a fun little, unapologetically girly game designed to pick up and put down episodically whenever you are in the mood (as i would have as a child), not played front to back for hours like most “intense adult games”. plenty of cute, fun, wholesome, non-sexualised roles to play, a simple but wholesome and rewarding plot, fun and quirky designs, lots of variety in mini game styles even within the plays… i had a blast the entire time. i kept thinking like, man, if this had existed when i was 8 i would have ABSORBED it. i still think they did an amazing job at making all the different “peaches” feel like the same person, but still unique and magical. lampshading a lot of tropes that a little girl may or may not know without being too obvious. i wish there had been more games like that when i was little, i probably would have role played all of the peaches with my friends during recess for weeks.

[@S3lph131]

I personally believe some demographics and personalities are predisposed to enjoying "routines"or what's known as "dailies".. for escapism.. As an insular gamer I find comfort in playing games I've played before.. this isn't because I'm a male.. it's because of my personality/past life experiences. Animal crossing is an excellent example due to the pandemic 4 years ago.. The game really helped people who were suffering with a lack of routine in their mental health and AC really helped with that.. It really should've received an award for this and everyone it helped. Myself.. I had remakes of Final Fantasy 7 and Resident Evil 2/3 to enjoy the familiar and new at the same time :)

[@oziphantom9465]

the Sims sold so many Celeron 266s, I had so many friends who played the game, then their GFs would watch them to see what they were so addicted to. Then the GF would get home earlier and get on the PC before my friends got home, and steal the PC. So they would go to the computer store and basically build the cheapest new PC that would run it well, buy it and then take it home and set if up for their GF and get their PC back. The budget Celeron 266 was the perfect CPU for the job.

[@Reshithewhite]

I would also like to point out RPGs being another genre that I’ve noticed a lot of my fellow female audience having a preference for as well. Heck, I can speak for myself as well. Also oddly personally I kind myself getting stressed playing a lot of farming sims namely due to the in-game timer and the auto pass out (Yeah I’m bad with timers)

[@SlyCooperRocks]

I'd personally love a Sly Cooper spinoff where you play as Carmelita

[@cesarst3720]

Girly games are just games that satisfy female gamers common preferences like games with female MCs, romance options, handsome men and the option of customization are some of those common preferences.

[@Airsaber]

I mean, tons of men like all of that, too.

[@cesarst3720]

@@Airsaber Yes, but just imagine there's a woman behind the screen playing that so it turns in another direction.

[@Airsaber]

@@cesarst3720 I'm not sure if I understood your comment.

[@_ayshasht]

all my girls love post-nintendogs nintendo rebranding

[@lilymoon2829]

When you mentioned female players getting the 3DS for Animal Crossing, it got me thinking about what games made me get my first DS Lite around 2009. Sure, Nintendogs was one of them but also, crucially, Brain Jogging and Professor Layton- Nintendo's most overlooked franchise imo. Despite being entirely puzzle based games with male main characters, anecdodtally I have noticed that "emotional, irrational" women seem to favour it much more "rational, logical" men... Interesting, that... A 2012 article states female players make up a slight majority of 51%. Also, the franchises female characters are really diverse in age and personality and the art style.... THE ART STYLE 😍 need I say more? I thought I'd bring it up because it is so much the opposite of what we would consider a "girly" game, and it rarely comes up in discussions about "cozy" games, yet I would argue it absolutely qualifies as both. Funnily enough, it is also a completely neglected franchise, and recent attempts to make it more "girl friendly" have cheapened the franchise, when it was already beloved by girls and women. Anyway, Professor Layton is bae and Ninetendo should get up off their butts and give me a Switch compatible version ASAP 🎩

[@purplemist7]

I loved your previous video on girly shovelware games and this follow up did not dissapoint! Thank you!

[@1Fresh_Water]

Literally 1 minute in, I just want to say I'm so happy you mentioned Purple Moon. Secret Paths was so important to me growing up in the 90s and I wish there were more games like it today.

[@marleysaal406]

i think the whole "ethno-state" thing comes from how bland the villagers feel in new horizons. i was OBSESSED with new leaf and i loved every single one of my villagers and looked forward to talking to them. But in new horizons, they all felt the same to me, if u had more than 1 of a single personality type talking to both was basically talking to the same character twice. they feel more like furniture/set dressing in that game, so i get wanting to tailor ur villagers towards an "aesthetic" instead of off personality

[@jgambale3391]

I liked Princess Peach Showtime a lot! My main complaint is it was pretty short for a full priced game. Some of the levels and challenges are pretty tricky!

[@oziphantom9465]

Daisy is the true protagonist of Super Mario Wonder right?? we can dream right??

[@Lifeisbathroom57]

There’s a game called little kitty big city you should really check it out it’s so fun and you can find different hats to put on your cat, it came out this year

[@HesGotaGun505]

My gf is a fan of several of these. She’s also a big fan of point-and-click adventure titles like Later Alligator and Fall of Porcupine.

[@HonkYeahArson]

YIPPEE!! I love your videos so much :D

[@Imirui]

I want to have a nice little chat with whoever decided in order to beat Super Princess Peach you had to get _every single toad in the game._

[@ethanhawksley9097]

New Zelda game where you play as Zelda

[@Airsaber]

Cool video! It was nice to learn about some of these games, especially since for the vast majority of my life I didn't own a console (though I did emulate some stuff), and I've always preferred "games for boys" (though it's interesting that even as a kid I gravitated towards games where one didn't have to play as a dude, e.g. Final Fantasy 6, Septerra Core, Tomb Raiders, or Jazz Jackrabbit 2 with that DLC that gives one the option to play as Lori). Fortunately, as a kid I wasn't aware that most games weren't marketed to girls/women, most of my friends and playmates who played games were girls, and my parents were as likely to buy me dolls and ponies as to buy me cars and building blocks. I would say all of those factors gave me a perfect start before there was a chance I would get discouraged by female/feminine gamers being mostly ignored or put into stereotypically pink boxes (and then mostly ignored), not to mention bullied. I think way more girls/women would get into gaming if, "games for girls" aside, they weren't discouraged in the aforementioned ways - or made to feel that "games for girls" = worse, more silly, deserving less attention. Side note: cozy games are lovely and I'm glad they are so popular these days! Some of my favourite examples from the last couple of years are: VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action, Coffee Talk, and The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood.

[@Mira-yo6fw]

14:56 don't get it twisted brah stardew is hard asf for plebs like me ✊✊ (Did I prioritise wooing Haley instead of looking after my farm? well yes but yknow)

[@Yngdady]

I remember a Nintendo ds commercial that featured beyonce "playing" a DS by smiling and smashing the screen with the stylist. Always angered me

[@Nick-rc7il]

I’ve noticed a lot of women playing call of duty way more often now as well

[@mysticdigital5936]

Amazing video! I didn't grow up with any of these series myself, but have been exploring and enjoying them the past few years. New Horizons was my first AC and it's one of the few games I will check all the time. Just doing the Daily Nook Miles is a nice chill experience and dreaming of the day I actually renovate my island. I first played The Sims when TS4 became Free-to-Play and it's a lot of fun. I prefer watching other people play it, but it's such a super open game.Hoping to pick up Stardew soon too! One thing I think a lot of "girl" games like these have in common is appealing to queer people, especially men(I'm just one example but Alpharad and his love of Peach totally count). As some say, the games are "for the girls and the gays." But really I think you made great points. Most of the games focused on creating fun and unique experiences, not hitting a Target Demo.

[@petrnovak7235]

I think last year Tchia also deserves to be mentioned here. It's open world, action adventure indie game about a girl going on an adventure to save her kidnapped father. The game's setting is fictional, but highly inspired by New Caledonia's culture and languages. And the latter may be a problem for sone, since while the game is dubbed, it's not dubbed in English, but actually in French and Drehu, the languages spoken in New Caledonia. The game does have subtitles, but especially during cutscenes, the subtitles can be a little too quick. Other than that, though, the game is pretty easy, maybe way too easy (harder difficulty for hardcore gamers wouldn't hurt here), but the story will more than make up for that in my opinion. The game is available for Windows, PS4 and PS5, with Switch release scheduled for 27th June 2024. And I think this game proves that games for girls nay not necessariky be open-ended simulations. Though I am sure many male players will also enjoy Tchia just like I did.

[@zaynkun]

I still have the backpack that came with the purple moon games 😂

[@goo_90]

Well this is my new favourite channel.

[@goddamnit7230]

While I understand you say inclusive is a good thing, I believe the reason many of these thrive is because of the focus they have on their game. Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley are both incredibly similar yet so different because they focus on the game they are trying to create. Trying to please everyone makes no one happy. I truly believe that and believe that their success is because they made these incredibly good and passionate focused games, versus something like No Man Sky when it first launched. It was a muddy mess and had to fix and focus on what it was trying to be instead of in the end adding numerous features that overburdened and were not initially intended in the game. They cleaned it up, then expanded and now have an amazing game on their hands.

[@RizyRafiq]

Bayonetta was also a big one! A bit of a less casual example, but the majority of my friends who are fans of Bayonetta are women!

[@magicfrae]

i love scrolling through reddit and seeing some unhinged post about multiple girlfriends and pissing their wife off, you get that OH its just stardew moment XD

[@nyxyms]

Randy can I just say I love your content :D I’ve been watching them the last few days and I’ve been searching for a fem content creator that does video essays abt stuff I like and yours hit the spot

[@DottedWolf]

I'm actually happy to hear the new peach game is easy cus I wanna play it with my mom haha

[@milesrodger3724]

Love the vibe of your channel, excited to show my wife it!

[@sssolace]

i think new horizons is the lowest point for animal crossing. i miss when the series was about your interactions with the villagers and thats no longer the case now with them being walking mannequins with no personality. i didnt get into the series for the decoration aspects but thats all the series is good for at this point.

[@holybirdlibrary2633]

I had super princess peach as a kid and I honestly thought it slapped

[@violetslit]

ahh i love all these games (nintendogs make me so nostalgic), would also add cooking mama to the list!

[@magicfrae]

i was so disappointed in peach showtime. it had a lot of charm but it was just toooo easy. i get if they are trying to make more kid friendly games, but millenials were playing some of the hardest platformers as early as age five. give us a challenge!

[@itsd3br33]

I really enjoy these type of videos, glad to have found your channel :)

[@hhhsp951]

i had nintendogs+cats

[@Alexander-gu6zs]

Need that hour 😔💪

[@cherrymi02]

its weird that when i saw the video title, i suddenly remembered of those Hazel baby webgames? (God i always hated her design, and im a girl lmao) also dude, princess peach ds is my favorite game of her, she looks soo badass on ds than on switch on my opinion

[@rosieisverycool5004]

Omg babe wake up Randy Moon uploaded ☝️😼

[@charlestheprincess]

really enjoyed that barbenheimer joke thank u

[@Philue]

your meme game is on point! so entertaining!

[@ch-o-co-late7216]

Harvest moon was my OG cozy game before stardew

[@rafaela00002]

4:16 of course it's plumbella

[@KotleKettle]

These games you listed are good because they are targeted to girls for the most part. And there's nothing wrong with it. Many guys my age liked watching both Star Wars and Disney princes cartoons. Simply because they were good. Modern game industry is trying to mix everything up, make MC a girl boss with an Oblivion NPC appearance, and it simply doesn't work. It's ok for games to be "girly" or "boyish", and it's ok for guys to play "girly" games as well as for girls to play "boyish" games as long as they are good.

[@YVNGH31R]

review dark souls

[@alinayossimouse]

would you count harvest moon as a girl game?

[@BittersweetPerson]

Currently I have e played or I'd want to play EVERY VIDEOGAME you've mentioned. In fact I have recently bought a switch to catch up with the latest version of the games. I used to think I was a different kind of girl but... 😂😅

[@JeffTheEpic]

Stardew Valley is literally the best game ever made and yes I am autistic 👍

[@smol5601]

I had a dream as a kid my nintendogs died because I didn't touch the game for a month.

[@giangeegibb]

Justice for Charcoal 😔

[@skribble-]

apparently pikmin 1's player base was mostly female

[@r053_p3t4l]

Hi, I'm Daisy!

[@TheMegamanhero]

Babe wake up a giro did a thing

[@SimberPlays]

Great video!

[@brettstephens2736]

Hi, Randy. I love your beautiful green eyes. They look like little universes❤

[@Luuuluuuu]

u are so cool i’m glad i found your channel

[@DK-ue5ks]

Speaking of which I need to download nintendogs on my delta emulator on my phone.

[@jadensmith1820]

This video was a banger

[@SaviorAnthon]

I like the video, editing, and music, but you should try to make it seem less like you are reading a script or a make it seem like you're looking directly at the camera it would make the videos seem more personal and less robotic.

[@randymoon]

last time i tried that people told me it looked like i was staring into their soul 😔

[@SaviorAnthon]

I guess there's no winning, but I like the video regarless.

[@omegaoverlay431]

I think you should lean into that then. No matter what, you'll have haters but I find that what people respect is someone that leans into a brand. Be the "soul girl" then. It will bring more life to your videos! I got one enjoy that. Hah.​@@randymoon

[@AurraKo]

in my opinon (correct) mgsv is the girliest game out there.

[@CheezeBreaux]

Ngl woman, you are very cute and easy for the eye to watch indefinitely, I just let it play and hear your voice talking about Internet lore, hugs and kisses.

[@xLadyRaine]

I actually disagree that life sims are a dime a dozen. With all the fanfare surrounding paralives, inzoi and the now cancelled life by you-games that have not been released yet-it shows just how unique sims is as a game.

[@songmaster74]

RANDDDY MOOOOOOOONNNN : D

[@viviennenorthwoods]

if there’s macho games and girly games are there non binary games ?

[@Badusername2000]

fallout 4, has both shooty shooty bang bang and also building and house customization

[@elilla3583]

judging from non binary people I know at least, Tetris

[@voilet-the-non-violet-vulpix]

My not-at-all biased vote goes to Pokemon. I mean, look at the names of the PCs. Half of those are just colors & rocks!

[@GoodGirlPeruru]

@@Badusername2000 yes, the ever present nonbinary fascination for *nuclear warfare*

[@Good_Doe]

Never was this early before and can't wait to be told about more shovelware

[@YaMoonSun]

It seems “girl games” are what I think.

[@remusracingro3884]

Writing one dieection fun fiction:))))

[@btxteppei7327]

Hi from Brazil

[@bucksmentalstability69]

Stardew stardew stardew

[@SammyMV12]

woot woot

[@Walczyk]

i love your eyes hell yes

[@tenebrisity6170]

Super princess peach on the ds is better

[@mrdeatheli]

Let's gooo!

[@chainunleashed5924]

Y'all just mad cause our games are better.

[@DoomyRei]

Lol what