There is nothing inherently male about video games, like there's nothing inherently male anything. Yes, there are some genres that are preferred by women, like RPGs, adventure games or the Sims, but that's such a broad stroke I'm ashamed I'm typing it. I have plenty of female friends who play a variety of genres, from RTSes to FPSes to RPGs to everything else. You have to realize that gender (apart from the purely physiological i.e. babies and related) is a social construct that is internalized by members of our society. So "men" and "women" tend to do what is expected of them, not because of peer pressure, not really, but because they have so internalized the concept of "man" and "woman" that their wishes coincide with that. Though video games aren't that polarizing, there are plenty of female gamers, there is still a huge skew towards casual gaming for women. Why is that? Many women aren't introduced to gaming, or don't want to try at all. They perceive the casual market as a time waster that isn't any deeper than that. What is to blame here? I don't really know. My circle of friends are really open minded about anything, so I can't comment on what society at large sees video games as and I don't care. Maybe I just think video games aren't polarizing while they, in fact, are and are considered "male-centric"? Maybe? If so there is your answer. Most people don't go against the flow. Why you, specifically, play games is incidental and doesn't tell us a whole lot. Many people play games for a variety of reasons.
It's interesting that Swen doesn't talk about "making a game that appeals to women", but he wonders if they can't reach a female audience. And I think he's on the right track. Mostly because nobody knows what "a game that appeals to women" is and there shouldn't be such a thing. That is setting back feminism at least 50 years. Like I said, most women aren't introduced to gaming and when they are, they aren't willing to try or they don't know what "gaming" is and aren't sure if that's something for them.
