Doctor Gonzo

a little more detail: our daughter wants a game boy advance for her 17th birthday - hmmm... the wife and I were thinking a soon-to-be 17 year old girl would ask for something ... else? just wondering how popular video games are with teen girls, or is ours just a tomboy? seems you always see boys playing the demo games on display at wal-mart, best buy and all. tell me what you think.

also, if we get her one, which would you recommend, the game boy advance or the game boy advance SP?

Trigger

I'm not allowed to comment on what demographics like what because I'm oppressed, but I think you should get her what she asks for.

And I'd suggest the SP.

xmiyux

Absolutely go with the SP over the regular GBA. I had a GBA at japanese launch and still hardly ever played it because of the horrid unlit screen. When i got my SP things totally changed and i've actually gotten some use out of it.

cheapskate

Do as she asks... or risk being labeled a bad parent.

Plus, you could like, so, totally get her like, a girly color, y'know? This red is like, totally radical...y'know... fer chicks 'n stuff.

sdcrym

Back at Target this last black friday there was a nice looking lime green GBA SP, which my girlfriend got.

sdcrym

For example: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...104378611&rd=1

outer-edge

In general, I am not sure if games are popular among that crowd, but in high school I did have several female friends who liked video games. In college when I met my future wife I found out she was a huge SNES/Gameboy fanatic as well. Currently I have some female friends who are all mid-20s and big fans of various consoles, some Gameboy devotees, some Gamecube, some PS2, some Xbox. When I worked at Gamestop about a year ago we had all ages of girls buying video games, and many junior high/high school gameboy fans.

So, I guess what I am saying, is it is very possible she really wants that Gameboy as I think more girls are getting into games beyond just a casual sense. If she is asking for it as a present, she must want it, but you may want to throw in a gift card for a game or two, as girls' tastes in game seem to vary quite a lot, from shooters to puzzle games to anything else.

DARTH GAMER

As a high school teacher, and one that is big into video games, I have found that most of the students that I have that play games are boys.(thats a no brainer) BUT, I also have been very surprised at the amount of girls that love games as much as we do and join in to our VG conversations. Every year there seem to be more of the female gender that are into playing and don't see anything wrong or wierd about it. They are also not always the Tomboys either. So, I see nothing wrong with your daughter wanting a Gameboy. Just think, come later down the road, she's going to be the coolest mom because she'll be able to kick her sons ass in Tekken. And make sure you get her an SP.

xmiyux

I'll also vouch for this trend as a junior high school teacher. While there are more guys playing VG i have had several girls get in on the Halo talk, so it isn't something too out of the ordinary.

jaeufraser

She's probably a lesbian in training.

Heh, ok probably not. While truthfully most 17 year girls are probably not video game fanatics, there are lots of girls who enjoy them and want them. Sure, their numbers aren't like boys, but it's not that big a deal and isn't that abnormal.

Sammy Jo

I remember in high school not being able to find many other girls who were into video games, and it seemed like ALL the guys were big gaming nerds. But that's just my school. Although, if the subject of old school video games came up when talking to girls at my high school, the majority of them shared memories of video games as a child. So I guess with most of the girls I've encountered, they were indeed gamers at one time, but not during their teenage years.

jw2299

I think the GBASP is a different kind of machine. It's more accessible to girls. It looks chic and folds up small (it'll fit in a purse) when not in use. I'm not a teacher but I work with kids in that demographic and I spend a lot of time in schools, and I've seen many girls her age playing their GBA's while waiting in lines, at the store, at lunch, etc. It's totally normal, and I think that the GBA SP is getting more girls into gaming because it doesn't scream "I'm a nerd" when you're seen with one.

And I know that feeling, I carried my original game boy with me almost everywhere.

Fincher Fan

You should get her one because someone has to buy all those Mary-Kate and Ashley games... aside from all those 40-year old perverts, that is.