[Game Design Bible] Gendered Game Preferences and Animal Crossing

In a nutshell

1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons became a massive hit packed with brilliant tricks.
2. The Game Design Bible is full of secrets behind what makes games fun.
3. Men and women gravitate toward different kinds of games.

The Tricks Gathered in Animal Crossing

Where did all the pent-up pandemic energy go?

It gathered on a little island.

Animal Crossing was already popular, but this time it was off the charts.

You build your dream home and ideal life, then show it off to friends.

You trade bells, mail each other catalog items, and send handmade outfits.

You polish your interiors, set your own goals, and dive deep.

You play the stalk market—turnips that last only a week—and agonize over when to sell because you still owe Tom Nook money.

June rolled around, bringing waves of wedding items.

When you visit a friend’s island you don’t call it “online play.” It’s travel. You board a flight.

Villagers drop by at random. Maybe you weren’t fond of one at first, but then you catch them cooking their heart out and start showering them with gifts.

Animal Crossing is jam-packed with thoughtful design.

The mastermind is Aya Kyogoku. Starting with City Folk on Wii, she emphasized photography, social play, and items, turning the franchise into something entirely new.

With New Horizons she became the top-grossing female creator in the world—and looking at the mechanics above, it’s no surprise. The game nails what women love about games.

I borrowed my brother’s copy and was so blown away by the design that I barely progressed.

The Game Design Bible

The Art of Game Design compiles decades of research on games and fun into a single, literal bible for creators. In the U.S., it’s considered required reading.

It retails for about 5,000 yen, but it overflows with insights you can use not just for games but for any service that needs compelling experiences.

Personally, I love the sections on UI, community-building, and the essence of play. Today I want to highlight the differences in what men and women look for in games—it’s fascinating.

Games Men Like, Games Women Like

Naturally, men and women expect different things from games. What feels fun—and what they’re good at—differs.

Games Men Prefer

1. Mastery

Men love a challenge. They enjoy mastering something that rewards them with tangible results.

2. Competition

Men enjoy proving they’re the best by competing with others.

Women are almost the opposite: the bad feelings from losing (or making someone else lose) often outweigh the positive feelings from winning.

3. Destruction

Men find aesthetics in destruction.

4. Spatial Puzzles

Research suggests men outperform women in spatial awareness, so they tend to excel at 3D puzzles. Women often find three-dimensional puzzles frustrating.

5. Trial and Error

There’s an old joke that men don’t read the manual—and it’s true. Men love trial and error, so they prefer interfaces they can understand by tinkering. Simpler is usually better.

Games Women Prefer

1. Emotion

Women delight in experiences that explore the richness of human emotion. For men, feelings are just one component; for women, they’re the main course.

You can see the difference clearly in media about romance. Women adore romance novels, which dwell on the emotional side of relationships. Men, meanwhile, gravitate toward adult magazines, emphasizing the physical side.

2. Real-World Connections

Women like games that tie into real life. Being able to play with friends really matters. For men, an AI opponent is often enough.

3. Nurturing

Women love taking care of someone: baby dolls, pets, younger kids. In competitive games they’ll even sacrifice themselves to help a struggling player. Relationships and feelings carry weight, so nurturing behavior surfaces naturally.

4. Word Puzzles

Because women are said to be less comfortable with spatial reasoning, they lean on superior language ability. Women buy more books, and they’re the main audience for crosswords and other word puzzles.

5. Learning from Examples

Women prefer learning through examples. They like thorough manuals and tutorials that guide them step by step. That means UI should be intuitive and the next action should always be clear.

Look back at Animal Crossing and you’ll see it nails every trait women love in games—almost too well. No wonder people spend hundreds of hours crafting incredible islands.

Side Note (Recommended Books)

Here’s a favorite design book—packed with timeless tips. I refer to it often.